Mending Something Broken
by Greenleaf1075
Summary: This is the story of Dominic Shepard and his twin sister Primrose. This story starts during ME2 and will probably go past ME3. Slight canon, but will be changed up to fit my characters. Please R&R. Garrus/OC and M!Shepard/Liara.
1. Finding Freedom

_Hello everyone! This is my first Mass Effect fanfic and I am really excited about doing this one. It starts during ME2 and will go into the 3__rd__ and possibly beyond. I am bring in a new character, my own, she will be M!Shepard's twin sister. There will be violence and mild language (when necessary) and possible smut later on, but for now it is rated T. Nothing too bad will be going on, but when things start getting rougher I'll up the rating. Also I'll be doing slight canon dialog as well as missions, but I will probably be mixing them up a bit to fit my own story and characters. Please let me know what you think and if there is anything you think I should change or if there are any errors, I want to make this as perfect as possible. Thank you for taking the time to read this and let me know what you think. _

_Beta read by LakynBacon and Alan J. Worthington_

* * *

"What the hell do you mean I've been gone for two years?" Dominic Shepard exclaimed as he sat across from two strangers, one named Jacob and the other named Miranda.

"You died two years ago and Cerberus has been working to bring you back Shepard," Miranda stated very matter-of-factly looking from Jacob to Shepard.

Shepard rubbed his forehead as he felt a wave of nausea come over him. _Two years? Two years?! What the hell happened to me? What happened, to my sister? Oh, shit Primrose I hope…. I hope you're still you after losing me. I hope that you're okay._

"Where is my team? Where is my sister?" Shepard asked with new determination in his eyes. He needed to find her, he needed his team.

"It's been two years Shepard, they all scattered. Went into the wind after the Normandy went down," Miranda said with slight annoyance. She wondered why he couldn't see the bigger picture. Why the only thing on this mind was his sister and his team.

"Miranda, don't you think we owe this man a better explanation than what we are giving him?" Jacob said, sensing Shepard's growing annoyance.

Miranda sighed but quickly realized her old friend's words were true. They did owe him that much at least. "There's little I know, but we are taking you to someone who can at least answer some of your questions and point you in the right direction for the rest," Miranda said leaning forward, forcing Shepard to stare her in eyes. She had to admit, he was an extraordinarily beautiful man. Soft blond curls and baby blue eyes, just over six-feet tall with broad shoulders; he was the all-American poster child.

"Where are you taking me?" Shepard's blue eyes pierced through Miranda with pure determination.

"We are taking you to see the Illusive Man. He is the one that sponsored your... 'recovery'... as it were," Miranda said as she leaned back.

"Look Shepard, this is all a lot to take in, but right now you have to trust us. You were right about the Reapers," Jacob said as he tried to alleviate the tension between the two. He knew Miranda for some time now and trusted her, but he never trusted the Illusive man. However, he knew that humanity needed Shepard and Shepard needed to trust them.

"What are you talking about?" Shepard asked with confusion in his baby blue eyes.

"The Illusive Man will explain everything to you when we arrive," Miranda said as the annoyance in her voice returned. "But for now we need to do some tests to make sure that you're still you."

* * *

It felt like an eternity had passed since Shepard had stepped foot onto the shuttle that was headed toward the Cerberus facility where he was going to meet the Illusive Man, but in reality it had been little over two hours. His mind was still reeling with all the information that both Jacob and Miranda had given him, yet there were still so many unanswered questions.

_Where is Primrose, my twin sister? I've been the only stable thing in her life and I left her with nothing and nobody. Growing up on Earth with no one but ourselves, we could only trust each other and I let her down when I died. I left her alone and with nothing to hope for._

_Where is the rest of my crew? Are they all right? I know most of them made it off the Normandy, but what are they doing now? _

_And what about Liara? By God I fell in love with that woman. She understood me like no one else other than my sister, and to be honest I had never been in love with anyone until her. She showed me things I had never seen before and showed me I could be things I never thought I could be._

Shepard opened his eyes as he felt the shuttle jerk to a stop, while both Jacob and Miranda shuffled themselves to gather their belongings. His mind raced as he thought about where he was. _Cerberus, damn Cerberus. I can't believe that this is the company that I owe for bring__ing__ me back. Everything they did to me and my squad back on Akuze. All those people we found and helped two years ago that had been affected by this damned company and now I am in their debt. If someone had told me that this would happen to me two years ago I would have laughed in their face. Hell, if I had known I would have been dead for two years and then brought back to life…. I don't know what I would have said._

The shuttle door opened with a swish and Shepard found himself in an average looking shuttle bay, but he knew that this station was anything but average.

* * *

Shepard entered the communications room where he was to meet the Illusive Man, but there was no man there. Instead his own projection was sent to another room, probably in a different facility on a different planet. There he found himself in front of an older man, mid-40's to mid-50's, grey hair, in a crisp grey suit, while smoking a cigarette, drinking what appeared to be whiskey and sitting in an ordinary office chair.

"Commander Shepard," the older man said puffing on his addictive nicotine.

"Illusive man. I thought we would be meeting in person," Shepard said with mild distain.

"This is a necessary precaution for people like you and me," the man said as he took a sip of his whiskey. "You and I both know too much and that can be dangerous. You should know that."

Shepard shuffled his feet, but kept his eyes on the man in front of him. There was no way he was going to let this man think he was even the slightest intimated by him, or had wavering feelings of any sort. "I am owe you for bringing me back, but that does _not_ mean I trust you," Shepard said.

"You need to put your personal feelings aside, Shepard. We're on the same team here," the Illusive Man said. "Humanity is up against the greatest threat of our brief existence, and infighting on our part can only quicken their agenda."

"The Reapers," Shepard said, nearly spitting on the floor.

"Good to see your memory is still intact," the Illusive Man said while he ashed his cigarette. "How are you feeling?"

"I have no intention of making you my friend, so let's cut the small talk and get down to business," Shepard cut him short with a wave of the hand.

The Illusive Man sipped on his whisky before he took a drag off his cigarette. "We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack." The older man rose from his set to stand in front of Shepard. "While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies. We believe that it is someone working for the Reapers, just as Saren and the Geth aided Sovereign. You've seen it yourself; you bested all of them. That is just one reason we choose you."

"This doesn't seem like Cerberus. Why are you fighting in this war?" Shepard asked as he cracked his neck.

The Illusive Man took a drag off his cigarette before he answered. "We are committed to the advancement and the preservation of humanity. If the Reapers are targeting us and trying to wipe us out, then Cerberus will stop them. If we wait for politicians or the Alliance to act, no human colonies will be left."

Shepard turned from the Illusive Man for a moment. _What the hell is going on? Sovereign wanted to harvest _all_ life in the galaxy. Why are only human colonies being __taken__?_ Turning back to the Illusive Man with fire in his eyes, Shepard stared straight through the older man. "This makes no sense," Shepard exclaimed. "Sovereign wanted every breathing thing in the galaxy to be harvested. Why are the Reapers just targeting a few human colonies?"

The older man sat back down in his chair, "Hundreds of thousands of colonists are missing. I'd say that fits your definition of 'harvesting'. No one is paying attention because the attacks are random and they occur in remote colonies." Shepard watched as the older man in front of him rubbed his brow, "I don't know why they are suddenly attacking only human colonies. Maybe you got their attention when you took one of their own down."

Shepard scratched at the invisible itch on his forehead; he still wasn't sure where he fit into all this. _Why did they spend so much money and resources on bring__ing__ me back? _

"So why me? You could have trained an army, maybe even two for the amount of money and resources it took for you to bring me back," Shepard stated as he paced back and forth. He was starting to get antsy and his hand was starting to get twitchy, something that never bode well for anyone.

Shepard had grown up around violence. He'd even been in a gang in his teens, but he mellowed out as he grew older. The exception was his sister; anyone who messed with her - even looking at her wrong - would get their eyes cut out without a second thought. He was glad to say even those days were past as they had grown to adulthood and enlisted. She was always the brains, always thinking and learning, while he was always the brawn. He worked hard to keep her away from the gang, but sometimes fate is stronger than will.

The older man stared at Shepard while he took another sip of his whisky, "You're unique. Not just in what you've experienced or even your talent, but what you represent. You stood for humanity at a key moment in time. You're more than a soldier - you're a symbol. I don't know if the Reapers understand fear, but you killed one for their own and that has to stand for something."

Shepard stared down the older man in front of him. He knew what he had to do; stopping the Reapers was more important than anything, but he needed _his_ crew. He needed people he could trust.

"Okay, I will work _with_ you, not _for_ you. This is going to be _my_ operation and I will not have you telling me what to do," Shepard stood with pure determination in his eyes.

The older man chuckled lightly, "Miranda thought you would be more resistant. She's not usually wrong. And I agree, this is your ship, your call on who you have accompany, but I will make some suggestions. Miranda and Jacob will accompany you. They have served me well and they will do the same for you."

"How do I know I can trust them?"

"We're all on the same team here Shepard, don't forget that. Miranda is loyal to me and she will be reporting to me from time to time about your progress, while Jacob is a hell of a soldier. He has never trusted me, but he has never hidden it and I can respect that," the older man said as he took a drag from his cigarette. "They're good people, Shepard. They will not jeopardize this mission. There is far too much at stake here for such actions and everyone is aware of that."

Shepard nodded. He understood where the grey haired man was coming from. Jacob did seem like an honest man, a man that would do the right thing rather than the easy thing. Miranda, however, was the wild card to him. He still was not sure what to think of her. Only time will tell with either of them.

"I will send you dossiers of people I think you should track down, but the choice is of course yours if you want to recruit them. Before that, I need you to head to Freedom's Progress. That was the last human colony to get attacked and there may still be something there that can give us clues as to who's responsible for this sudden interest in our colonies," the older man said before he snuffed his cigarette out.

"That sounds like a feasible plan. Do you think there are any survivors?" Shepard asked with little hope. It was one thing that he always tried to keep, but continually lost.

The grey haired man shook his head, "I doubt it, Shepard. From past experiences, there's never been a single man, woman or child left behind. I wouldn't get your hopes up."

Shepard scoffed at the older man, "There is one thing that I need from you. I have a sister, a twin sister named Primrose. Do you know where she is?"

The Illusive Man shook his head, "We've known about her for some time, but she is a hard woman to find. It seems that after your death she went into hiding, something I have the feeling you taught her to do."

Shepard laughed a throaty laugh, one that he had not heard escape his lips in ages. Yes, that was his sister, always two steps ahead and three steps to the right, if it's every other day. If not then it's four steps to the left. "Yeah, that sounds like her. I want her on my team, if you happen-"

"If I happen to hear anything about her I will let you know," the Illusive Man said as he lit another cigarette. "Good luck with your mission Shepard. I hope that you find what you are looking for."

"I just want you to know that I still don't trust you with my life, but I am willing to trust that you are serious about this threat. I am tired for being ignored and I will not let this continue," Shepard said with fire in his eyes and venom in his words.

"I wouldn't have any other way," the Illusive Man said.

The two men stared each other down for moment longer before Shepard turned and walked away. He knew what he had to do-there was no denying it. He just didn't like that it was Cerberus that he had to work with. _Damn Council, damn Alliance, why couldn't you believe me two years ago! But then again I would probably still be dead in that case._

* * *

Shepard walked up the stairs to meet Jacob and Miranda. They were both waiting by the shuttle that was going to take them to Freedom's Progress, their first stop.

"So, I guess we're working together," Shepard said as the three of them boarded the shuttle.

"Look Shepard, you may not like this, but this is for the best," Miranda said as she took her seat next to Jacob. "The Illusive Man has put us under your command. Just tell us your orders."

"I have no problem working with you. I just don't trust you. That is something you have to earn with me," Shepard said, raising an eyebrow to the woman.

"I think I can understand that," Jacob said as he watched the tension in the little shuttle rise. He knew what Miranda could do, and he had seen Shepard in action, but that didn't mean he wanted to see the two of them testing their skills on each other. That would just be a waste of time.

Shepard sighed heavily as he leaned back into his seat. He knew that Cerberus had gone to the other colonies that had been attacked, and he needed to know what they were about to walk into. "What happened at the other colonies? Are there any clues as to what we will be dealing with? Any survivors?"

Jacob shook his head, "No, no survivors. No real evidence of what happened either. No bodies, no crash site and no trace of unusual genetic material found." Jacob rubbed his forehead before continuing, "It's like they all disappeared. No trace of anyone."

"What makes you think that we'll find anything this time?" Shepard asked with curiosity.

Jacob raised his eye brows, understanding exactly what Shepard was asking. "The other times official investigators got there first. Sometimes looters or salvage teams as well. We're hoping to be the first ones on the scene this time before anyone disrupts it. We need to find some clues as to what we are dealing with."

"Agreed," Shepard said with a nod of his head. "There may also be survivors, though, and if there are, we need to help them first and foremost."

"That is unlikely Commander," Miranda said nearly rolling her eyes. She couldn't believe that the man in front of her had such a 'tough guy' reputation when he went out of his way to help so many people. "In the other colonies, there was nobody. Nothing left behind. They were all completely deserted."

"But it would be nice to find someone alive after all this. Anything would be better than finding another ghost town," Jacob added.

Shepard nodded. _At least one of them understands where I'm coming from. There was a time when I would have done anything, gone through anyone to get the job done, but I was shown a better way. My sister showed me that there was enough violence in the world and I was in a place where I could help, if not change that. My sister was always helping, going out of her way to give to the needy. She was always my 'Little Robin Hood', my little bird._

* * *

It didn't take long for them to touch down on Freedom's Progress. Jumping out of the shuttle, the sight before them was very ominous indeed. There was no life, nothing to show that there was even a fight. It was like everyone had just disappeared without a trace. _By God, it's like what they said: everyone gone, and nothing left. I truly doubt now that there will be anyone here._

They made their way quickly and quietly through the settlement, seeing what was left behind. "It looks like everyone got up from their dinner. Everything is as they had left it," Jacob said with mild disappointment in his voice.

"It's the usual, Commander. No bodies. No structural damage. No signs of a battle," Miranda commented.

The trio walked through another living unit, seeing another family home left undisturbed. They all felt the ghosts around them. As they made their way out of the pod, they were attacked by FENRIS mechs.

"Why are the security systems still on?" Jacob yelled as the FENRIS mech took a shot at them.

"I don't know. They were shut off at the other colonies," Miranda commented back between pistol shots.

"At this point it doesn't matter," Shepard yelled back as he took down the first FENRIS. "We just need to take them down and try to shut them down."

"Agreed," both Jacob and Miranda stated back.

Minutes later, after taking down various FENRIS, LOKI and YMIR mechs, the trio stood around for a moment looking around at the mess of machines scattered about.

"I don't understand why these mechs fired at us. They should have recognized us as human," Jacob said as he kicked a robot over.

"Someone reprogrammed them to attack on sight," Miranda said as she reloaded her pistol. "We are not alone here."

"Agreed," Shepard said as he did the same thing. "We need to find them and see if they know anything about what happened here. They may be able to give us some insight. Stay frosty, though. They may be hostile."

As they were moving through the family units, Shepard couldn't help but feel tense. _Someone had been here, and left _absolutely no _trace._ He didn't know who he was dealing with, but had to force his nerves to calm down as he came up on the next family unit. As he opened the door, he noticed movement and brought up his assault rifle, safety off. A quartet of quarians was inside, two examining a LOKI mech, and two standing watch. At the sound of the door, the three quarians raised their rifles, alert at Shepard's sudden entrance. "Put the weapons down!" he yelled, his finger finding the trigger.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" One of the quarians yelled back, making his way to within ten feet of Shepard, his gun trained on his head.

Shepard began to feel his trigger finger itch when one of the female quarians stepped between the two.

"Prazza! You said you would let me handle this!"

At the sound of her voice, Shepard hesitated, lowering his rifle to better look at the quarian. "Tali?"

The quarian looked back, and from working with one for nearly a year, Shepard could tell through her body language that she was surprised. "Shepard? Wait...is that you

"I don't want to take any chances with Cerberus operatives," the man Tali called Prazza said.

"Put down those weapons!" Tali exclaimed as she stood between her men and Shepard.

Tali turned back to Shepard with a pause. "Shepard… I…. I can't believe it's you. You're alive!"

Shepard smiled as he put down his weapon. It was good to see a familiar face...well, a familiar mask. "It's me Tali. Remember, I helped you with your Pilgrimage with the Geth tech I gave you. Did that information help your fleet?"

Tali signed with great relief. "Yes, it did. It gave us a great advantage," Tali said before she turned to her comrade. "Prazza, tell your men to put down their weapons."

"Damn it Tali, this is bullshit. Why would your old Commander be working with Cerberus?" Prazze spat back at her. Shepard could tell that Tali was in charge here, but none of the men were happy about the arrangement. He had to say he was very proud of his little Tali. It wasn't too long ago she was a lost little girl on her way to becoming a woman.

Tali shook her head, "I don't know….. But I know Shepard, and he would have a reason."

Shepard rubbed his forehead, _how the hell is he going to explain this? 'Oh Tali I know that we fought and took down countless Cerberus facilities two years ago, but they brought be back from the dead and now there are missing Colonists and they're the only ones who care to find out what is going on?! _"Let's just say it's a long story, but the short version is that they brought me back from the dead and now there are hundreds of thousands of Colonists missing with no one doing anything about it," Shepard said without taking a breath. "I don't like it much either, but I need help and they're the only ones who are willing to trust me and believe what I have to say."

"Tali, you are not seriously thinking about trusting Cerberus are you?" Prazza exclaimed with growing frustration.

"I am not Cerberus!" Shepard exclaimed, his own frustration out-doing Prazza's. The two men bearing their teeth as the tension in the room became bitter.

"This is Shepard, Prazza, if I can't trust him then I can't trust anyone!" Tali said standing her ground between the two groups growing tension. "Besides, we need help searching the area." Tali turned to Shepard. "One of our people was here on Pilgrimage. His name is Veetor. We've come to bring him home."

"Why did Veetor come here, to a human colony?" Shepard asked trying to relieve the tension a bit.

"We can do Pilgrimage anywhere we think we can get information or help for the fleet," Tali explained.

"Do you think he is still alive?" Shepard asked, afraid of the answer he was going to get. _It would be nice to find someone, anyone, alive in his mess._

"We saw him when we landed," Prazza spat, his true feelings for Shepard and his companion very clear in his voice.

"What, you saw him? Why isn't he with you already?" Jacob asked.

"Veetor was injured and he was… ah… always a bit nervous," Tali explained as she rubbed her hands together nervously.

"What she means is that he Veetor has always been a little unstable. Combine that with the damage to his CO2 scrubbers and a growing infection, and it is likely that he is delirious," Prazza chimed in.

"When he saw us land he ran into a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect that he reprogrammed the mechs to fire at anything that moves," Tali said. It was very clear to Shepard that she was nervous about her friend and she only wanted to get him home safely.

"We'll find your friend Tali. Do you think your friend might know what happened here?" Shepard asked while trying to comfort his former teammate.

"Like hell! We're not letting Cerberus get their hands on our people!" Prazza exclaimed with fire in his voice.

"We need the help Prazza, and like I said before, I trust Shepard, _not_ Cerberus." She turned back to Shepard. "I hope that he will have some answers for you," Tali said her growing frustration for her teammate becoming more and more evident. Head to the warehouse on the far side of town. We'll try and distract the drones to clear you a path."

At this point Shepard couldn't help his annoyance any longer. "What happened that made the fleet hate Cerberus so much? I mean I remember what happened two years ago, but that was us, not the fleet," Shepard asked rubbing his thumb into his palm.

"Cerberus attacked the fleet," Prazza spat stepping closer to Shepard.

"That is not entirely true Shepard," Miranda chimed in.

Shepard waved his hand to cut both Prazza and Miranda off. "Save it, you two," He didn't need the two of them going at it anymore. "Perhaps that should wait until _after _the mission." They were here for a reason and there was no choice between the two groups but for them to work together.

"Let's move out. We'll meet you at the warehouse," Shepard said as the quarians and his own team moved out.

Shepard watched as the quarians went around, pulling the smaller drones in their direction with a couple of potshots. His own team started to head for the warehouse dead ahead.

"The quarians were an unexpected variable. They could help us, or they could grab Veetor and run," Miranda said as she readied her weapon.

Shepard stopped in front of Miranda, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Listen to me very carefully," he started, and he saw her usually stoic demeanor fall. "I understand that you don't believe in my motives. I understand that you have very different methods. What I _don't_ understand is how you think you can mouth off at every moment available." His brow furrowed and his voice rough, he knew he made for an intimidating figure. Miranda was speechless as he continued, "I don't believe that the Illusive Man's best agent is whining every five minutes like a school girl, and I really don't give a damn to hear it even if she wants to! As my executive officer, you are to maintain efficiency on my ship, keep my crew in line, keep your mouth shut and your ass in line. Do I make myself clear?"

Miranda nodded almost imperceptibly. "Perfectly," she whispered. Shepard nodded back and continued toward the warehouse.

Tali kept in contact, telling Shepard and his team where security drones where located, how many there were and their position. It didn't take long for their little team to make it through the drones and mechs that were scattered around, Tali's intel helping them along the way. Plus, a few well-placed bullets and Overload always helped.

Things were going good until Tali came on the comm a few minutes later. "Shepard! Prazza and his squad rushed ahead. I told them to wait, but they wouldn't listen! You'd better hurry if you want to talk to Veetor," Tali said through the intercom. It was clear to anyone listening that she was done dealing with Prazza.

"Thank you for trying Tali. We'll get that and help them get to Veetor," Shepard said as he quickened his pace. _Those damn foolish quarian are going to get themselves killed! They have little fire power for a frontal assault. They'll get massacred._

"We should have expected something like this," Miranda said. Shepard ignored the woman. Her voice seethed with venom, and he knew that she was right, but he just didn't want to give her the satisfaction in knowing that.

Shepard moved along the pods, up and down stairs trying to get through to Prazza's squad.

"Hurry Shepard! Prazza is at the loading docks," Tali exclaimed, the fear rising in her voice. "Veetor reprogrammed the heavy mechs and they are tearing apart Prazza and his squad!"

"Did they get to Veetor first?" Miranda asked.

"That doesn't matter right now Miranda. We need to get there to cover them!" Shepard spat back.

"Get your team in cover and I'll open the loading bay doors," Tali said.

Shepard and his team did as she instructed. Miranda and Jacob covered the door while Shepard took point, all three of them waiting for Tali to open the doors.

Moments later, Tali opened the door and they all watched as Prazza and his team was executed by the heavy mech inside. Miranda, Jacob and Shepard all moved to cover, while Tali worked on the last door.

"That mech's got heavy armor plating. Those Quarians didn't stand a chance!" Jacob yelled through heavy fire.

"That's going to be one tough son of a bitch to take down!" Miranda yelled back.

Shepard didn't know what else to say, but he fully agreed with their assessment of the situation. "We'll throw as much Overload power as we can and keep hitting him with the big guns!" Shepard yelled as he started to make his move. Shepard was an N7 soldier. There wasn't a weapon out there he didn't know how to fire or a vehicle he couldn't drive; a YMIR mech wouldn't stop him.

Jacob rained incendiary rounds onto the mech with his shotgun, while Miranda used Overload to over whelm the mech's shields and Shepard used his rocket launcher until he was empty before switching to his assault rifle, his own incendiary shots active. They dodged incoming fire between numerous cargo crates scattered around, with Shepard drawing much of the mech's fire. Miranda wore no armor whatsoever, just some executive suit, and so a direct hit without shields would do devastating damage to her. There was no way he was going to lose one of his men so early in the game.

Minutes later the team heard the heavy mech finally hit the floor. Shepard and his team searched the area, finding Tali with her fallen team trying to save who ever she could.

"This is your chance to go find Veetor. Go while I tend to the wounded," Tali muttered as she bent down over one of her comrades.

Shepard nodded as he turned and made his way with his team to the warehouse. Quickly the trio found the warehouse, and when they opened the door they heard the fractured muttering of the missing quarian in front of the computer screens.

"Monsters coming back. Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No-no-no-no-no-no-no," Veetor stammered completely oblivious to Shepard and his team.

"Veetor?" Shepard said as he walked up behind the young man.

"No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide," he said as he continued to type on the computer.

Shepard stepped closer, his voice reassuring. "No one's going to hurt you anymore Veetor. You're safe, the monsters are gone."

Veetor ignored Shepard as he continued his work.

"I don't think he can hear you Commander," Jacob said as studied the man in front of the computers.

Shepard glanced at his omni-tool and reprogrammed it to turn off the computers. He needed Veetor to listen to him. He needed to know what was going on here and there was nothing that was going to stop him from figuring this out.

After a minute Veetor realized that nothing was going to bring the computers back on, and when he rose from his seat he found himself in the presence of three humans.

"You're human. Where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?" Veetor asked as he nervously rubbed his hands together.

"Who didn't find us?" Miranda asked. She was obviously getting tired of the games.

"T-the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone," he said nervously.

"Veetor I need to know what happened here. Why didn't the colonists fight back?" Shepard asked as he took a step closer to Veetor. He was doing everything in his power to make the young man feel comfortable, but his own patience was running thin.

"Y-you don't know? You didn't see? I see everything," Veetor said as he started to pace back and forth.

Veetor then turned back to the computer screens on the wall and switched them to the recorded video surveillance from earlier. The three of them observed the pieced together vid, trying to understand what they were watching. The young Quarian had put together several vids all showing the same area. Frozen humans and something that looked like pods scattered around the outside of a living pod.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob asked.

They watched as an unknown alien came into view. "Oh my God. That's a Collector," Miranda said with complete shock in her voice.

Shepard viewed the alien placed human bodies inside a pod. "What the hell is it doing?" Shepard asked.

No one answered, the only thing they could do was watch the vid.

It didn't take long for Tali to show up. She had lost her entire squad and her defeat was shown in her posture. Shepard couldn't help but feel bad for his young friend. _So young and she has lost too much._

"Their dead Shepard, all of them," Tali said, nearly weeping with her words.

"I'm sorry Tali," Shepard said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you Shepard," Tali responded back to him. "Can I take Veetor back to the fleet now?"

"What? No! He might have more information," Miranda protested.

"No. He's been through enough. He needs medical care and his people," Shepard said as he waved Miranda off. "Take him home Tali, and if you could please send me any more information you may find, that would be great."

Tali nodded and said her thanks. Shepard and his team watched as the two young people left. He couldn't believe what had taken place here. _The Collectors? I thought those damn things were a myth. What the hell do I do about a damned myth? _

The trio made their way back to the shuttle silently. Miranda was obviously upset about the fact that Shepard had let the kid go and Jacob was still in shock about the Collectors.

_So what now? I guess I have to talk to the Illusive Man again. Maybe he can lead me in the right direction. _Shepard sighed as he thought about talking to the Illusive Man again. _If I'm going to be working with this man, we will be working under my rules, and my team. I have to try and find people I can trust…. I need to find my sister._


	2. An Angel's Sacrifice

_**A/N:**_ _Just wanted to thank everyone for reading my story. Wanted to thank Archer the undressed for faving and following, GC42 for reviewing and following, Skies192 for faving and following, and thisisafakename for following. Thank you guys so much, you have really encouraged me to continued this lovely story. I hope that you are continuing to enjoy my story, and please let me know how you are enjoying it! Of course BioWare owns everything until I own the world, haha._

* * *

Shepard turned off the shower and let the warm water drip off his blond curls while his mind mused about the meeting he just had with Anderson and the Council.

"_The news we've been hearing about you is disconcerting Commander," the Salarian council member had said with great distain. _

The rest of the meeting just went downhill from there. It was like whatever he had once said about the Reapers was gone, everything he had done, the human lives he had sacrificed to save them didn't matter. They just pushed it all to the side and forgot about it just because it was 'inconvenient' for them to believe it.

_Hell Anderson couldn't even tell him where Alenko was or what he was doing, but I couldn't blame him for not telling me. I am now working with Cerberus, the enemy, still weird for me to say that. But it's good to know that he's moved up, a Major now, I always knew he had it in him._

Shepard ruffled up his curls as he whipped the steam from the mirror. _At least they gave me back my Spector status. At least one good thing came from it all. _

Looking into the mirror, Shepard was greeted with a familiar yet different face. His features were there, but they were lined with new fresh scares where his old used to be. His once baby blue eyes now looked back at him with a red glint. _I look my like a damn cyborg than a human. _And then there was the matter of his hair, _damn curls make me look like a child. _He pulled one of the curls till it was an inch long, taking the sheers that lay on the counter next to the sink he started to buzz his hair off.

_My skin might not be my own, my eyes might be altered, and god knows what else Cerberus has added, but there is one thing I'm going to keep normal, my damn hair…. It's all comin' off!_

"Commander, we'll be at Omega in 10 minutes," Joker said over the loud speaker. Shepard smiled at the familiar voice. _It's good to have both him and Dr. Chakwas on the ship, something familiar and friendly among all this new and unknown._

"Thanks for letting me know Joker," Shepard responded as he pushed his fallen blond curls into the trash bin. "Edi, can you let Miranda and Jacob know that we'll be leaving as soon as we land. I'd rather limit our time in that hell hole."

"Will do Commander," Edi responded in her silky voice. There was something to the way she sounded that always made him think twice. _Too damn bad she's an AI…. That voice is something else_. Shepard chuckled to himself at the thought of an AI and a human. _The shit my mind wanders too…_

Shepard met Jacob and Miranda at the Normandy's airlock, both of them wide eyed at the absence of hair on his head. "Haircut Commander?" Jacob asked as they made their way off the ship.

Shepard rubbed his hand over his new buzzed head. "No, it just all fell out this morning," he joked as he elbowed the younger man in the ribs.

Miranda rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the small grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth. _A jokester, great… I guess he's got to find some sort of stress relief._

Jacob laughed to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't used to being the butt of someone's jokes, but he had a feeling this wasn't going to be the last time something like that happened.

It didn't take long for one of the henchmen of the 'leader' of Omega came looking for Shepard and his crew. "Aria wants to speak to you Shepard," the Batarian said with a bad attitude.

Shepard eyed the man in front of him, "how do you know who I am?"

The Batarian scoffed, "everyone knows who you are and they know to watch you carefully. Things have a tendency to explode when you're around."

Jacob scoffed in response, "what makes you think we need to talk to Aria?"

"No, no, we'll go see her," Shepard said as he waved his hand in front of Jacob to cut him off.

The trio watched as the Batarian walked away before any of them said another word. "I think it's a good idea to talk to her. She might have intel on Archangel or the doctor. Plus, pissing people off isn't my way and we need all the friends we can get around here," Shepard said as he eyed his companions.

Miranda agreed, while Jacob mumbled something underneath his breath, but still followed suit. _He's an Alliance solider through and through, _Shepard thought to himself.

* * *

Garrus looked through his scope picking off the bastards that funneled their way through the bridge, _another and another. These sons-of-bitches just keep coming. _Looking through the scope he smiled as he popped another one in the head. _These bastards will pay for what they've done to my team. _

Garrus' mind went back to when the explosion that had hit his hideout, that took out his team and his heart sank. _It was all my fault, I shouldn't have let my feeling get the better of me. I should have been there to protect them, to have taken the blow. _

Garrus felt as his blood started to boil. He couldn't remember how long he had been up on that ledge taking down the mercs that kept piling out, but it was starting to take its toll. He was making mistakes, and he never made mistakes. At this point in the game he was running on pure adrenaline and he knew it. _I don't know how much longer I'm going to last up here, but I'm going to make as many of those bastards pay as I can._

Five, six, seven more mercs went down before he popped in another heat sank. The ground around him was littered with all the empties. He had lost count of how many he had used, it was pointless to keep count. Who would really care after he was dead?

Twelve, thirteen, fourteen all of them clean head shots, he knew he was running low on bullets, _have to make the most of what I've got left._

Garrus wiped the sweat from his brow plate and noticed how his hands were starting to shake. _Sprits, when was the last time I ate or even drank water….. Hell even took a break? _ They were pushing him to his breaking point and he knew it, _they're just buying their time, waiting for me to faultier my resolve. I'm not going to give them the satisfaction. They're going to take me down with my rifle in my talons!_

Pop, pop, two more head shots. _Shepard would be so proud of me now, taking down injustice. I'm doing this in honor of you brother. _Garrus and Shepard had always had a friendly relationship. Shepard had even told him once that if he were to ever have a brother he wished he was like Garrus. _'Brother's in arms', _Shepard would say, and hell Garrus had to admit that for a human, Shepard was the best there was.

Another few heat sinks spent and Garrus could feel his resolve slipping, _not yet, they can't have me yet! _He looked through his scope one last time, looking for his targets head when he saw something that he thought he would never see again. _N7._

Garrus rubbed his eyes, wiping the sweat from his brow plate, _that can't be him. Not Shepard, not my brother. _He looked through his scope once again, fixing himself, making sure that his mind wasn't playing tricks. _That can't be Shepard, fixing his scope once more he saw the logo with a familiar face attached. Shepard, by the Sprits, should have known he'd survive!_

Garrus pulled the trigger once on Shepard, _just got to make sure it's really him. _Shepard nearly lost his balance when the concussive blast hit him, _yup that's him. _With new resolve and adrenaline pumping through his veins, Garrus repositioned himself to protect his old friend, his brother. Pop, pop, pop, _Shepard better hurry his ass along! _

Within minutes Garrus could smell his old friend coming up the stairs, _leather, metal and gun powder. Familiar mixed with unfamiliar, two more humans were with him, his friend, his brother._

"Archangel?" Shepard asked with curiosity.

Garrus looked through the side of his scope at his old friend, he knew that he wouldn't be able to recognize him with his full armor on, but it was nice screwing with him for just a moment longer.

Shepard shuffled from left to right waiting to see if Archangel was going to shot him or take off his helmet and have a chat. He wasn't sure which option was better at this point. He could feel Miranda and Jacob behind him, fingers tight on their triggers.

The trio watches as Archangel nods his helmeted head and raises to his feet, using his rifle as support. With one clawed hand he removes his helmet, Miranda, Jacob and Shepard all held their breath in suspense.

"Shepard," Garrus said as took a seat on some nearby grates. "I thought you were dead."

"Garrus!" Shepard said is surprise. "Garrus, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Just keeping my skills sharp," Garrus quipped back with a chuckle. "A little target practice."

Shepard took a few steps closer to his old friend, he's only real friend he ever had. Worry crossed his face as he looked into the Turian's tired eyes. "You okay brother?"

Garrus rubbed his brow plate, "I've been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face. Killing mercs is _hard _work, especially on my own."

"Well you're not on your own any more Garrus," Shepard said as he patted his friend on the shoulder. "This here is Miranda and Jacob," he said as he pointed to the tall dark haired woman and the taller dark skinned man, but neither of them came close to Shepard's heights, which he of course was dwarfed by Garrus himself.

Both Miranda and Jacob relaxed their posture, putting their guns back in their holsters. They nodded to Garrus, but kept their eyes focused and alert.

Shepard rubbed his brow as he looked his friend in the eyes, "how did you end up on Omega Garrus?"

Garrus dropped his head as he twitched his mandibles in frustration. "I got tired of all the bureaucratic crap on the Citadel. I figured I could do more good on my own. It's not hard to find criminals on Omega. All I've got to do is point my gun and shot," he said nearly chuckling with the last bit of his statement.

Shepard chuckled to himself as he went to stand next to his friend. "How did you mange piss off every major merc in the Terminus systems?"

"It wasn't easy. I _really_ had to work at it," Garrus chuckled as he leaned back slightly. "I'm amazed they teamed up to fight me, they must _really_ hate me."

Shepard stepped up to his friend, clapping him on the shoulder. "I think you really did it this time my friend," he said as he shook his head. "By the way, you shot at me."

Garrus' mandibles flexed as he chuckled, "how else was I going to get you moving. You were taking your time Shepard and I didn't have all day up here."

"Hardy har my friend, very funny," Shepard said as he returned a smile to his friend. "My friend I think you really did it this time. How in the hell do you plan on getting out of this one?"

Garrus rose back to his feet and looked through his scope. Mercs were starting to claim over the walls again. "Looks like they're about to hit us again," Garrus said as he handed his rifle over to Shepard.

Shepard looked through the scope and got one of the merc in his cross hairs. He squeezed the trigger, blowing his head off. "Well, there's one less," he chuckled in response.

"That there is my friend," Garrus said as he retrieved his rifle from Shepard. "I'll stay up here, I've got a great vantage point up here, and well Shepard, you do what you do best," Garrus said as he took his position on the ledge again.

Shepard chuckled and turned to his team. "Miranda and Jacob cover the staircase, pick off any that we miss, I'll stay here with Garrus," Shepard ordered as he pulled out his sniper rifle.

"Looking for a little competition Shepard?" Garrus grinned, his mandibles spread wide.

Shepard popped in his heat sink and readied his scope. "Hell yeah I am! I've been looking for some sort of normalcy since all this shit started," he said as he took the first shot. "By the way, that's one."

Garrus grumbled something incoherently as he popped two back to back in the head. Shepard could do nothing more than laugh at his old friend. _This feels good, feels good to have my old friend back, my brother._

The two friends picked off their targets, one over the other, neither of them winning yet. Shepard knew that he wasn't as good of a shot with a sniper rifle as Garrus was, but he was better than most. _He must be tired if we're this close in scores. I've never been able to keep up with him before when it came to the sniper._

By the end of the first wave of mercs, Shepard was at 18, while Garrus stood at 22. "Looks like you win again my friend," Shepard said as he clapped his gantlet against Garrus' metal armor.

Garrus chuckled as he replaced an empty heat sink with a fresh one. "We're just getting started," he said before the building felt like it was falling around them.

"What the hell was that?" Jacob asked as he and Miranda made their way back to Shepard and Garrus.

Garrus flipped opened his omni-tool to look at the bay doors he had locked beneath him. "It was about time they started to use their heads," he said as he punched in some calibrations into his omni-tool. "Looks like they've breached the bay doors beneath us, you need to get there and shut those doors Shepard!"

"I'm not leaving you alone Garrus," Shepard said before he turned to leave.

"Are you sure Shepard? You don't know what you're going to find down there," Garrus said his mandibles tight to his chin in concern.

Shepard chuckled to himself. "Yeah, I'm sure. These two are good and you know I'm good," he said before turning to Miranda. "Stay with Garrus Miranda and keep is sorry Turian ass alive, and that's an order."

Miranda nodded and watched as both Jacob and Shepard walked down the stairs. "Where do you want me?" she asked Garrus.

"Cover my back, make sure none of those bastards sneak up on me," Garrus said as he eyed the woman in front of him. He knew enough about humans to know that in their eyes this woman would be considered beautiful, but to him there was something wrong, something cold about her. Not saying that he ever found human woman attractive, he just found humans and other species fascinating.

Jacob and Shepard worked well together, both being trained by the Alliance helped with that. There were three shutters that needed to be closed before Shepard and Jacob could reunite with Garrus and Miranda.

It didn't take long for Shepard and Jacob to finish closing the shutters, but as soon as they had finished Garrus was on the line telling them that Garm and his Blood Pack had breached the main floor. The pair ran as fast as they could to the main entrance, picking off the Varren and Vorcha as they went along.

"Shepard I need you help up here. Garm has Miranda and I cornered," Garrus said over the ear piece.

Shepard quickened his pace as he ran up the stairs, Jacob behind covering Shepard with his shot gun. Running into the room with Miranda and Garrus, Shepard took cover and started to fire his assault rifle at the lumbering Krogan that had both Garrus and Miranda cornered.

It didn't take long before the three of them over powered and killed Garm. "Oh man Garrus, what have you done to piss all these idiots off?" Shepard asked as he reloaded his rifle.

"It's a long story, I'll have to tell you later," Garrus said as he wiped the sweat off his brow plate. "Man I am glad I was finally able to take him down though."

Shepard walked up next to Garrus, both of them looking down at the dead Krogan. "You've tangoed with him before I presume?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah, you could say that," Garrus said as he popped another heat sink into his rifle. "I got him alone one time without his gang and we went toe-to-toe until his gang came," Garrus shook his head at the memory. "The toughest fight of my life, but I had to retreat when his gang showed up, always regretted not taking him out."

"Archangel!" Someone said over a loudspeaker. "You think you can get away from me? I will destroy you!"

In that moment the gunship that Shepard hindered from being completely fixed showed up and started shooting Shepard, Garrus and his team, splitting them up. Garrus took the brunt of the assault, but not before a missile was shot, taking him down.

"Garrus!" Shepard yelled. "Take down that damn gunship!" Shepard ordered Miranda and Jacob.

The fight was intense, all while Shepard and his crew worried about whether or not Garrus was dead or bearing hanging on. Miranda and Jacob switched between their firearms and their biotics to take down the men that kept being dropped by the gunship, while Shepard pulled out his grenade launcher and wen after the gunship itself.

When the fight was over, Shepard ran to Garrus' side. "Garrus, Garrus!" he yelled.

"Call ahead to Joker, make sure he's ready for us!" Shepard ordered to Miranda. "Stay with me buddy, stay alive, we'll get you to Chakwas and she'll take care of you."

* * *

_The smell of smoke burns my nostrils and the taste of my own blood fills my mouth. I can't breathe without choking on the smoke and my own blood. _

_I hear someone calling my name, "Garrus, Garrus." It must be Shepard, he sounds distance so far away, but I know he's here. I know that he's close. I can hear his gun fire._

_But the darkness comes and I can feel it covering my body and mind, taking over. 'I'm sorry Shepard. I won't be able to help you. I won't be able to follow you into hell this time,' I want to say to him, I need to say to him, but the words won't come out. _

_I'm slipping, slipping down into the darkness. 'Goodbye Shepard.'_

_I wake up next with a bright light burning my eyes and the right side of my face on fire. What happened to me? Where am I? Than it all comes back to me, the missile, Shepard, the destruction of the gangs on Omega. Everything floods back to me and my brain feels like it's going to explode. _

_I must find Shepard, I must tell him I'm okay, that I can fight by his side one more time._

"Oh no Mr. Vakarian, you need to stay where you are," Dr. Chakwas says as she pushes him back onto the mattress. "You just took a missile to the face. I have grafted your skin and fixed your mandible, but if you over exert yourself it will all be for nothing."

Garrus hears a growl escape his lips that he didn't even feel coming from his chest and he instantly feels guilty. Dr. Chakwas has always been kind to him and she did just save his life, and mandible. She doesn't deserve his grumpy attitude, but Turians are not known for being the patients.

"Thank you Dr. Chakwas, I don't know how I can ever repay you," Garrus says as he touches the right side of his face. "But I must see Shepard."

Dr. Chakwas sighs heavily, she knows that Turians are horrible patients and there is nothing she can do to keep one in her medical bay. "Fine, but if you have any problems come straight back here," she warns with a waggle of her finger.

Garrus nods his head as he starts to replaces his armor. He runs his talon over the scorch marks that frame the missile and bullet holes that litter his armor. He starts to wonder what it was that kept his ass alive, was it Shepard? Was it the Sprits? Or was it something else? Something that he can't see yet, something he has yet to do. He shakes his head, ridding himself of the horrible memories and thoughts. _Whatever the reason is that I'm still alive, I will not waste it. There is work to be done and my brother in arms needs me now more than ever. I cannot worry about my team, my past right now. The time for Sidonis to pay will come!_

Dr. Chakwas watches as her Turian patient muses over his armor than quickly putting it back on. She wonders for a moment if she should say something, but soon thinks against it. There isn't much you can say to a Turian when he's in pain, and she knows that. _He seems so sad, but I am glad to see him back on the Normandy. Maybe a little friendship and normalcy will do him some good._

* * *

"Commander, we did all we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit. The doctor had corrected what she could with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. The best we can tell he'll have full functionality, but… " Jacob said before Shepard heard the familiar stride of his old friend.

"Shepard," Garrus said as the door hissed open.

"Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet," Jacob said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" Garrus asked as he made his way into the meeting room, paying no attention to Jacob on the other side of the room.

"Hell Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face paint on and no one will even notice," Shepard joked as he crossed his arms.

Garrus laughed but quickly stopped himself. "Argh, don't make me laugh. My face is barely holding together as it is. Ah, it's probably for the best, everyone was ignoring you and hitting on me. It's probably time for you to get a fair shot at it," Garrus said jokingly to his best friend and Commander.

Jacob saluted Shepard and left the room, nodding his approval to Garrus as he left.

Garrus watched as the younger man left the room before saying anything else. "Frankly I'm more worried about you. Cerberus, Shepard really? Don't you remember all those testing facilities we took down two years ago?" Garrus asked, his eyes searching for answers in his friends face.

Shepard shook his head as he leaned against the table. "I know man, I know. Hell, I lost my squad on Akuze because of this god forsaken company, but they are the only people out there that are listening to me anymore," Shepard said with strain in his voice. "Besides, that's why I'm glad you're here Garrus. If I'm walking into hell I want someone I trust by my side."

"You realize this plan has me walking into hell too?" Garrus joked. "Ah, just like old times my friend," he said as he took Shepard's hand. "I'm fit for duty whenever you need me."

"Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about if you have a few minutes," Shepard said as he walked to the door and locked it.

"Of course Shepard, whatever you need," Garrus said, curious as to why he locked the doors. _This must be serious. Shepard has never acted like this before._

"EDI, I need you to tell Miranda and Jacob that we'll be leaving to find the professor in 15 minutes," Shepard said.

"Will, do Commander. And welcome aboard the Normandy Mr. Vakarian," EDI's smooth voice said over the loud speaker.

"What was that?" Garrus asked.

"That's EDI, the AI on board the Normandy, but that isn't why I want to talk to you," Shepard said as he crossed the room. "There is something I need your help with."

Garrus' eyes grew wide. "Commander Shepard, the savor of the Council needs my help?" Garrus said joking slightly.

Shepard smiled, "I trust me, I see the irony, but this is serious. I have a sister, and I need help finding her."

"I didn't know you had a sister Shepard," Garrus said slightly shocked.

"I know. I've kept her existence a secret for years. My enemies would use her against me and I can't let that happen," Shepard said as he crossed his arms. "She's my twin and I can't find her. I'm hoping that nothing has happened to her in the past two years, but I can't be certain."

Garrus nodded, he understood where Shepard was coming from, but he didn't understand where he came into the picture. "I'll do what I can, but what makes you think I can get you any closer to finding her?" Garrus asked, his brow plate pulled forward.

Shepard rubbed his forehead, he wasn't sure how to explain his sister and her dealings but he figured that if anyone could understand her and her ways it would be Garrus. "My sister, her name is Primrose, Rose or Birdy for short, she has a strong sense of what is right and wrong in the galaxy," Shepard explained. "She's the reason I am the way I am today. I used to be a son-of-a-bitch when I was a kid, but she showed me another way. She showed me that there is enough hate and destruction in the world and I was in the position to change that."

Shepard paced the room before he continued. "Garrus, it's always been the two of us, especially for her," he explained. "She's not exactly the most normal of people, and she trusts no one but me. I'm afraid that when I died she started doing stupid things."

Garrus watched as the pain of the possibility of the death of his sister crossed his face. "She's a genus. IQ off the damn charts and it has always gotten her into trouble. Stealing from the rich, giving to the poor, I've always thought of her as a Robin Hood type figure. Always sticking up for the little guys, for what is right without a second thought.

"When we were kids, I was the brawler and she was the stealth. She's a fighter, a damn good hand-to-hand combater. She trained in several different martial arts, which were all easy for her since she was a dancer, a true artist," Shepard chuckled at the memory of his sister dancing around the half-way house where they stayed once or twice throughout their lives.

"Everything came easy to her, expect cooking, the woman has been known to burn water and I have no idea how. I never remember her struggling at anything," Shepard said as he gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white and his jaw tight with rage. Garrus waited for his friend to continue, surprised by Shepard's break in character. _I'm so used to the serious when needed, joking every other minute of the day. This scared, nervous man in front of me now is not the Shepard I've known before. _

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is, have you heard of anyone like her? Anyone working alone, stealing credits, getting intel on high ranking people?" Shepard asked his eye filled with worry and desperation.

Garrus rubbed his brow plate, "I have no idea. That's something I'm going to have to start digging around for. I can still access areas within C-Sec and nothing has ever been too hard for me to find," he says his mandibles flaring. He liked the idea of breaking into the security of C-Sec to help his friend.

Shepard's shoulders dropped as a small smile crossed his lips. "Thank you Vakarian, for everything. I don't know what I would do if I lost her too," Shepard says as he places his hand on his friends shoulder. "I'd owe you me second life if you can find her for me."

Garrus chuckles, but quickly realizes he probably shouldn't have done so. "Damn, this is going to take some time before it doesn't hurt," he says as he rubs his face.

The two friends walk toward the door, but not before Garrus stops Shepard. "Your sister sounds like one hell of a woman, and if she's anything like you she'll be alive," he says clapping his friend on the shoulder.

Shepard smiles back at his friend, "thanks for saying that. I sure hope you're right."


	3. Curing the Slums

_**A/N: **__I just wanted to thank everyone for reading my story. I also wanted to ask if anyone thinks that the canon dialog is too much. I've been some, but also trying to change it to better fit my M!Shepard. Please let me know if you think it's too much. At some point there is going to be less, but for now I thought it would be best to have it in to help develop the characters and how they interact with each other. Also wanted to thank everyone who has been following and my new followers Stark' and annrmk. Thank you so much guys! It's because of you guys I keep writing! Please review to let me know how I'm doing._

* * *

It didn't long for Shepard, Miranda and Jacob to find Professor Mordin in his clinic on Omega. All they had to do was follow the trail of dead bodies and the stench of burning flesh. So much death lying around it was hard to tell whether they died because of the virus or because of the Blue Suns. Either way Shepard found it disgusting the way that they just left the dead in the streets to rot. _These poor bastards deserve better than this. How can people just leave the dead and dying like this in streets?_

Entering the clinic the trio got nothing but nasty looks for the patients. Everyone in the quarantine believed that it was the humans, and Shepard had suspicions that it was Cerberus.

"Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting these slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. We may have similar goals," the Professor explained after Shepard had explained their reason for seeking him out. "But must stop plague first. Already have cure. Need to distribute it at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them."

"We'll get in there and take care of it," Shepard said as he looked to Jacob and Miranda. Shepard knew that he couldn't leave Omega in this condition; they needed to help the people whether or not they would appreciate it.

Moments later they heard a loud bang, and everything around them seemed to stop. "What the hell was that?" Jacob asked as he looked around the small room.

Mordin blinked his large dark eyes. "Vorcha have shut down environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates. Here, take plague cure," he said as he handed Shepard the cure. "Also, bonus in good faith. Weapon from dead Blue Suns mercs. May come in handy against Vorcha.

"One for thing, Daniel, one of my assistants, went into Vorcha territory looking for victims. Hasn't come back," Mordin said before Shepard turned his back to leave.

Shepard nodded, "I'll keep an eye out for him Mordin."

"Thank you. Told him not to go. But he's smart, bright future, I hope," Mordin rambled on.

Before Shepard left he remembered the Batarian that was sick, Mordin promised to send someone to help while he was fixing the environmental system.

The trio made their way through the slums, fighting Vorcha and the Blue Suns along the way. They found Daniel soon enough with a Batarian pointing a gun at his head.

"No, no! Those vials have the cure not the plague!" he said franticly.

"Maybe we cut off your fingers and we'll see how that loosens you…" the enraged Batarian said as he shoved Daniel.

"Look out!" the other Batarian that was leaned against the window said as Shepard and his team came in the room, guns drawn.

"Don't move! One more step and I'll shot your friend!" the latter Batarian said as he pointed his gun at Daniel.

"I know you're afraid. Of the Vorcha. Of the plague, but this man isn't to blame," Shepard said as he continued to reason with the Batarian. "If this man was spreading the plague why would he come into Vorcha territory? They're immune."

"He's right. It doesn't make any sense," the Batarian by the window said as he lowered his weapon slowly.

The Batarian pointing his gun at Daniel grumbled, "If we release the prisoner, will you let us go?"

Shepard kept his gun pointed at the Batarians, "you have my word."

The Batarians lowered their guns. "Let him go," he said before turning to Shepard. "You got what you wanted, human. Are we free to go?"

"You're free to go," Shepard said as he lowered his gun.

"Human nobility. I didn't know such a thing existed," the Batarian said with a shrug before he and his crew walked passed Shepard and his own.

Shepard watched as the Batarians left the room, than turned back to Daniel. The man was twisting his hands nervously as he watched Shepard with worry. "T-thank you. I thought they were going to…. to kill me," he stammered. "Did Mordin send you to find me?"

"The professor could use your help right now. He's got too many patients and not enough volunteers," Shepard said trying to move Daniel along.

"Yeah, okay. I'll go right away. Thanks again. I owe you….well….everything," Daniel stammered again nervously before he left the room.

Shepard watched as Daniel left the room, than turned to his team. "I'm surprised at you Shepard. If that were me I would have killed them anyways," Miranda said as she pulled out her gun again.

Jacob chuckled lightly agreeing as he too pulled out his shotgun.

Shepard eyed his comrades closely. "I keep my promises, remember that," he said making sure they understood every single one of his words.

The trio made their way through the slums, picking off Blue Suns and Vorcha on their way. Shepard was getting used to working with Jacob and Miranda. They worked hard and were always on his six. Whatever he may think about Cerberus, he had to say that Miranda and Jacob were very useful and very well trained. Now that is not saying that he trusted them yet, no he didn't, but he did trust that they wanted what was best for humanity and that's all that mattered at the moment.

It didn't take long for them to reach the environmental system, but not before a Vorcha could stop them. "You no come here. We shut down machines, break fans. Everyone choke and die! Then Collectors make us strong!" he says as he turns back to his other gang members.

Shepard was shocked that the Vorcha even knew that the Collectors existed let alone that the Collectors would have anything to do with such creatures. The Vorcha were not known for their smarts or even their technology. They were a pestilence on society, nothing more, nothing less.

"What do the Collectors want from you?" Shepard asked, needing to know the answer. Whatever these creatures knew, if they knew anything, he had to know.

"The Collectors want plague! You work for doctor, turn on machines, put cure in air. We will kill you first!" the Vorcha says with a great yell, baring his teeth to show his dominance over Shepard and his crew.

With that being said the fight was on. It didn't take long for EDI's smooth voice to come over their comms. telling them where the central control system was and where the cure could be placed. After that was done they would have to turn the fans back on manually, one on each side.

The trio fought their way to the alcove and soon they were making their way to the right side of the room. Wave after wave of Blue Suns came after them. _Times like this I seriously wonder if these guys just pop out of the damn ground like daisies. _

They seemed to be even worse when the trio started their way to the left. Miranda and Jacob combined their biotics, while Shepard used his sniper rifle to take down the Vorcha that were using grenade launchers from the balcony above.

After Shepard had successfully taken down the last Vorcha, he moved his sights to the Krogan that were charging Jacob and Miranda. He quickly pulled out his assault rifle and killed him after Miranda used Overload to take down his shields.

Shepard had to admit that the more the three of them worked together the easier it seemed. Miranda and Jacob would use their biotics while Shepard came up from behind to fill their enemy with lead. The more they worked together the more they could trust each other, and that was exactly what he wanted, and what needs to happen.

After the trio had gotten the last fan going, they made their way back to the clinic with ease. Shepard figured it was because they had gone through the slums killing the most of the Blue Suns, and the fact that they had destroyed the leader and the rest of the gang yesterday helping Garrus. Shepard wondered to himself how long it would take for the Blue Suns to get back up and running, than he remember that this is Omega and they pop out of the damn ground like daisies.

* * *

"Environmental systems engaged. Airborne levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating. Well done, Shepard. Thank you," Mordin said over samples he was testing.

"And thank you for me, as well. Those Batarians would have killed me," Daniel said as he fiddled with supplies. "For a second there, I thought you were going to shoot them even after they let me go."

Shepard chuckled lightly. Remembering what he had said to Jacob and Miranda earlier about how he keeps his promises. "I made a promise to spare them if they let you go. I honor my promises."

Mordin's large eyes looked Shepard up and down. "Merciful of you. Would have killed them myself," he said shocked that Shepard would not do the same thing.

Daniel stopped fidgeting with the supplies and turned to Mordin. "Professor? How can you say that? You're a doctor. You believe in helping people," Daniel said with shock in his voice.

Mordin turned to Daniel, his large dark eyes fixed on the young man. "Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal people. Sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps," he says very matter-of-factly.

In some ways Shepard had to agree with the doctor. There were times in his career that killing someone was what was needed, Saren being the perfect example. There was no way that he could let that man walk away with what he had done. Sometimes people really did need to be put down.

"Go check on the patients. Lots of work to do. Think about what I said," Mordin said as he patted his apprentice on the shoulder. They watched as Daniel left the room. "Good kid. Bit naïve. Letting him take over clinic. Should be able to handle it now that Vorcha are gone."

"We've cured the plague. Are you ready to help stop the Collectors?" Shepard asked as he looked around the room.

"Yes. Unexpected to be working with Cerberus. Many surprise," Mordin says nodding his head. "Just need to finish up here at the clinic. Won't take long. Meet you at your ship. Looking forward to it."

As Shepard and his squad left the clinic they ran into the Batarian they had helped earlier. He thanked them for saving his life and for keeping their promise to help him. Shepard shook his hand and told him that not all humans are the enemy. "Working together gets us a lot further than working against," Shepard had said before he turned and walked away from the clinic.

* * *

It wasn't long after they had gotten back to the Normandy that the Professor showed up. Mordin was anxious to start his work, or at least that's what Shepard thought. However, it seemed that was his way. _The Professor is an odd man, but if he is as useful as the Illusive Man says than his ramblings will be worth it._

Mordin explained how he had heard of the Illusive Man before, but had never seen him. His time in the Salarian government kept him well connected, even if he was retired. Shepard realized that the information the Professor had might be useful.

"What type of information can you find?" Shepard asked, careful not to arise too much suspicion in Jacob, but that didn't stop Jacob from raising an eyebrow.

The Professor eyed Shepard quizzically, "information on Collectors? No, nothing there. Know no more than you do."

Shepard shook his head, "no something else, but it doesn't matter right now. Maybe I'll come by you lab later and we can discuss it." Shepard than turned to a very curious Jacob, "Jacob would please show the Professor to his laboratory. I'm sure he wants to get to his research."

Jacob nodded his head, but not before he gave the Commander a long and questioning look. "This way Professor, I'm sure you'll be happy with what we've got here on the Normandy," Jacob said as he led the Professor to his new laboratory.

Shepard watched as they left the comm. room, wondering if he should ask Mordin about his sister. The thought of someone, anyone finding her gave him the slightest of hope.

* * *

Shepard made his way to Miranda's office, needing to go over their supplies and other necessities. The office doubled as her living quarters, which didn't surprise him in the least. He found her sitting behind the desk typing up reports.

"Commander," Miranda greeted him when he walked through the sliding doors.

"Miranda," Shepard said as he took a seat across from her. "I wanted to go over the supplies for the next week or so. I'm not sure if we're going to be able to stop long enough anywhere to restock, I'd like to make sure we're covered till we get another opportunity."

Miranda nodded her head and searched her tidy desk for the datapad that held the needed information. "It looks like we've got pretty much everything we need, but I can always double check Commander," she said rolling her finger up and down the list.

"Thank you Miranda. I would also like the list after you are done double checking, just to make sure," he said with a nod of his head.

"Commander," Miranda said as she watched Shepard raised from his seat to exit the room. "I understand that you are searching for your sister."

Those words made him stop in his tracks. He didn't tell Miranda or any of the other Cerberus agents about her, but he should have known that the Illusive Man would say something to her.

Shepard eyed Miranda behind the desk, wondering what she was going to say to him about it. "I just wanted to tell you that I hope you find her, but the Illusive Man has other plans," she said as she rose from behind her desk in a fluid movement to stand only feet away from Shepard. "He fears that she will be a distraction, detour you away from the objective."

Shepard crossed his arms across his chest in a huff. "And what do you think about it?" he asked eyeing the woman in front of him.

Miranda sighed. She didn't know what to think about it. She believed what the Illusive Man said, that she would be a distraction, but her personal feelings about it were different. She wanted Shepard to have his sister, to have his family, just like she always wanted her own. She knew that all he wanted to do was protect her, and that was nothing different than what she wanted.

Miranda sighed as she took a step closer to Shepard. "I hope you find her," was the only thing she said, the only thing she could say.

Shepard nodded as a smiled crept across his lips. "Thank you," he said as turned to leave.

Miranda watched as the Commander left the room. _There is something about that man that is far more intriguing than I'd like to admit. _She shook those thoughts out of her mind quickly, _cannot being those thoughts while on this mission. There are far more important things to attend to than my desires._

* * *

Shepard walked out of Miranda's office and paused in the mess hall and watched the humans eating their meals. He missed his old crew, the mix of humans and aliens working together, showing not only humanity but the rest of the galaxy that everyone can work together. He just hoped that when his other 'non' human recruits joined the team the Cerberus crew would be respectful. However, he knew that it was going to be a pipe dream.

Than Shepard remember Garrus in the main battery and headed in his direction. The man was busy calibrating, predictable as ever. Shepard smiled at his old friend. _It's good to know that something's don't change. _

"Shepard, is there something I can do for you?" Garrus said as he turned to face his Commander.

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relieve some of the tension. "Just wanted to talk, that's all," he said taking a seat on some of the crates near the wall.

"Of course Shepard, what's on your mind?" Garrus asked as he leaned against the computer. He knew what Shepard was going to ask, and he knew that he needed to talk to him about it. He was just dreading this moment. The moment where he had to talk about his feelings and what drove him to Omega in the first place.

Shepard eyed his old friend and stretching his legs out in front of him. His legs weren't as long as Garrus' but he was still a tall man. "Garrus, you know why I'm here. I want to know what you were doing on Omega. I thought you were going to go try and be a Specter or at least go back to C-Sec," Shepard paused for a moment before continuing. "I never thought I would see the day you would become a vigilante."

Garrus sighed. He wasn't sure how Shepard was going to react to the story he was about to tell, but he knew he needed to tell his Commander the details of what happened. "After the Normandy was destroyed I went back to the Citadel to try and become a Specter, but after you were gone the council disavowed everything you had said. They said that the Reapers didn't exist and that Saren was just a rogue agent working with the Geth and Sovereign was a Geth creation," Garrus said with evident rage in his voice.

"So I left, it was too much politicking for my tastes anyways. I've always hated injustice and Omega is the perfect place for someone like me. The people of Omega wanted someone to believe in, someone that would stand up to the local thugs. Besides all I have to do here is point my gun," Garrus said with a grumble in his voice as he rubbed his brow plate. "I ended up getting a squad together. Other C-Sec officers, people that have been wronged by the gangs, even had a Salarian bomb expert and a Batarian that could hack into anything."

Shepard laughed at the visual image of Garrus' rag-tag team. "Sounds like you had a real great team. How did you get them all together?" he asked.

"Much the same way as you did. I proved that I could get things done and people joined up," Garrus said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "People are sick of being taken advantage of and they just wanted it to stop. I was there to stop it, and so was my team."

Shepard nodded. He knew exactly what his friend was talking about. He had to prove to not only his crew but also to the Council and the Alliance that he could do the impossible, do what everyone else was afraid to do.

"So what happened?" Shepard asked, wary of the answer his friend was going to give him.

Garrus started to pace with the question running through his mind. _I don't want Shepard to think less of me for failing my team, but he needs to know what happened. _With a heavy sigh Garrus continued his story. "I let my feelings get the better of me," he said as he continued to pace the tiny room. Shepard could feel the anxiety filling the room till it was about to bust at the seams. "I was betrayed by one of my own and I didn't see it coming. Sidonis was one of mine, a fellow Turian and C-Sec officer. I trusted him and he got my whole team killed!" Rage bit every word Garrus said as he clutched his fists, his talons nearly breaking through his rough skin.

Shepard's eyes grew wide with this confession. "What a minute. Start over and tell me from the beginning. I don't understand," Shepard said as he rose from his seat to stand against the nearby railing.

Garrus stopped his pacing and looked into his old friends eyes. The once blue eyes glinted red as Shepard blinked at his friend. "Sidonis lured me away from my team, into an empty warehouse. By the time I knew it was a set up I was too late. The Blue Suns had boomed my team's hideout, killing everyone," Garrus dropped his head in defeat, sorrow and rage draw across his face. "Failed them, I failed everyone."

Silence fell between the two men. Shepard knew that Garrus needed a moment, just a moment to gather his thoughts before he finished his story. "So when you found me I had given up, I had resigned myself to death, but I was going to take down as many of those damn thugs as I could," Garrus said, his mandibles spread as wide as he could in a grin with the bandage on his face.

"Well than I'm glad we showed up when we did," Shepard confessed as he slapped his old friend on the shoulder.

"There are a few things I want to tidy up on Omega before we leave. Would you like to come along?" Shepard asked before he turned to leave the main battery.

"I'm right behind you Shepard," Garrus said with a wince as his mandibles spread wide with a smile.

The two friends smiled at each other before heading back into the darkness known as Omega.


	4. One Step Closer

_**A/N: **__Just wanted to thank everyone who has been following my story, you guys are the reason I keep writing it. Also wanted to thank Palladius and justsomepeople for starting to follow this story, thank you all very much! I'm upping the rating on this story because of this chapter. There are strong suggestive themes of drugs and sex. Just wanted to warn you all. Please let me know what you think of the story so far. Please Review!_

_As always BioWare owns everything._

* * *

Before Shepard and Garrus made their way into Omega, Shepard stopped at Miranda's office to check if she had gone over the supply list.

"There are a few things that we can get here on Omega before we leave," Miranda said as she handed the list over to Shepard. "I'll make sure they are on the ship before we leave tomorrow."

Shepard quickly went over the list. "No, no. Garrus and I can make sure it's done," he said as he raised his hand. "We're going out anyways. Gotta find a guy named Zaeed Massani, apparently Cerberus has paid for his services and he'll be working with us."

Garrus' brow plate rose when Shepard said the name. It was one that he had heard a few times while he was on Omega and before when he was a C-Sec officer. _I sure hope Shepard knows what he's doing… Zaeed Massani is not a man to be trifled with, but then again he never messed with me or my team…_

"Okay Commander, I will stay here and notify you if anything is to accrue," Miranda said, her voice controlled and smooth.

"Thank you Miss. Lawson," Shepard said with a curt nod before he turned and walked out the door with Garrus.

"We are going in search of Zaeed Massani?" Garrus asked as they entered the elevator.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck. "I've heard of him before. When I was a C-Sec officer and when I was on Omega," Garrus said as the elevator door opened and they made their way off the Normandy. "He's not a man to trifle. I've heard something's about him that are…. rather disconcerting."

Shepard chuckled. _Of course Cerberus would hire someone of questionable purposes to help me. _"To be honest Garrus, it doesn't surprise me in the least," Shepard said as they stepped foot onto Omega. "Besides, we might need someone of questionable reasons, so long as he follows orders."

Garrus nodded. He understood where his old friend was coming from, even if he didn't like it. But then again he was a different man than he used to be two years ago. He's done things now than he wouldn't have done back then, something's he's not too proud of.

* * *

It didn't take much longer for them to find Zaeed. He was a gruff man was found kicking a Batarian senseless.

After a short discussion about whether or not it was worth beating the man senseless. He soon agreed to meet them back on the Normandy after he took care of his bounty, but not before shooting the Batarian in the leg for trying to run.

Shepard watched as Zaeed and his prisoner walked away. He shook his head as he caught Garrus' eye. _I have a feeling that he is going to be trouble. _

Garrus placed his taloned hand on his friend's shoulder, reassuring him as if he could read his mind. "Don't worry about him. I'll keep my scope fixed if you want me too," he said with a slight chuckle.

Shepard laughed. "I hope that will not be necessary, but thanks buddy," Shepard said,

The men walked through Omega, commenting on the absolute depravity that was everywhere. Shepard wondered for a moment if his sister ever came here. _People being preyed upon, the weak and poor dying in the streets, this is exactly the type of place she would come to help. _

They made their way through the different shops, ordering the needed supplies for the Normandy. Garrus stopped at Harrot's Emporium and started flipping through the kiosk. He found a few decent weapon and armor upgrades that would be useful to Shepard and the crew.

After purchasing the needed equipment and ensuring that it would be on the ship before take-off tomorrow. The two men continued their walk through the Omega market place.

"So I have to ask, where did you come up with the name Archangel?" Shepard asked in a whisper. He didn't want anyone hearing since everyone on Omega thought he was dead. Both the men wanted to keep it that way.

Garrus chuckled. "That is a name the locals gave me," he said as they made their way out of the market. "I had helped an elderly human couple from being beaten and robbed. They told me I was a real-life angel, an archangel. So the name stuck," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Shepard chuckled as he clapped his friend's shoulder. "Great story my friend. Sounds just like you," he said to his friend.

A moment of silence passed between them before Shepard spoke. "I need to stop in at Afterlife. Wanna join me?"

Garrus nodded. All the time he had been on Omega he had never really been inside Afterlife. The night club as notorious for its seedy dealings, but Aria always seemed to keep it under control. As much as Garrus hated to admit it he never had a problem with Aria. She may be a criminal, but she kept her people under control. _Aria knows how to run a business, and that's exactly how she runs Omega._

The two men made their way through the night club, the Asari dancers' moved and bended in ways that most people would think impossible. The men in the club gauged at the dancers and Shepard couldn't help his own carnal feelings. _Gotta keep focused. Don't need this type of distraction. Just keep moving._

The bumping music and smoke cover room made it hard for Garrus to focus. He never much cared for night clubs, finding nothing but weak spots everywhere he looked. The beats in the music shock his body as the smoke made his eyes water. The smells alone made it difficult to pinpoint if anyone was going to come up behind him and kill him. It was moments like this he wished he eyes in the back of his head.

Shepard's eyes darted away from the dancers, and Garrus couldn't help but laugh at his friend. "Yeah, yeah laugh it up Vakarian," Shepard said as he made a face and darted up the stairs to where Aria was seated.

Aria eyed the two men as they made their way up the stairs to her loft that over looked the night club. Shepard took a seat on the couch across from the Asari woman. The two made eye contact for a moment before the woman decided to talk. "What can I do for you Shepard?" she asked as she crossed her legs.

Shepard took a moment before answering her question. "I found some information when I was looking for Archangel," Shepard said as he handed the woman a datapad.

Aria looked over the datapad with a grimace on her face. The information was gathered while Shepard was scouting out Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse gangs. It said that they were going to take Aria out after they had finished taking care of Archangel. "Does someone want to explain to me how this went unnoticed?" she said as she threw the pad at her one of her henchmen.

"I-I'll look into it," the Batarian stammered.

"Yeah, you do that," Aria said as she rolled her eyes.

They watched as the Batarian left the loft to discuss the information found with his fellow henchmen. "Thanks for that Shepard, I'm going to send you information on a cache," she said as he brought her eyes back to him.

"Thanks for that. I could use all the help I can get," Shepard said as he rose from his seat. The two of them nodded at each other before he walked down the stairs to meet up with Garrus.

The two man walked side-by-side as they made their way toward the exit of the club. "Hold on Shepard," Garrus said as he placed his hand on Shepard's upper arm. "Nothing in Omega happens here without Aria knowing about it. Maybe, just maybe, if your sister was here she would know about it."

Shepard eyed his taller friend. "I think you might be on to something," he said as he turned back.

The pair nearly jogged up the short stairs with excitement. "Back again so soon," the Asari woman purred with a wicked smile.

Shepard nodded as his own smile spread across his lips. "I'm looking for someone, and I know that nothing happens in Omega without you knowing about it," he said as both himself and Garrus took a seat on the couch.

Aria smiled like a cougar about to eat its prey as she eyed the men up and down. "You could say that, but that type of information will cost you," her eyes undressing Shepard.

Shepard could feel the heat of a blush rise in his cheeks as he realized her intentions. "Um, I'm looking for my sister," he said as the red started to dissipate. "Her name is Primrose. She may go by the name Rose or even Birdy."

When Shepard said the name Birdy Aria's eyes grew wide. "I should have known that the great Commander Shepard's sister was Birdy," she chuckled. "Come with me," she said as she rose from the couch.

The two men eyed each other before they rose from their seats to follow the Asari woman, hope rising in Shepard's heart at the thought of finding his sister.

The men followed Aria to a hidden elevator across from the loft she usually sat at. She waved her henchmen off, making sure that they didn't follow her. Within minutes they found themselves in a circular room, halve of which was covered in windows, while the other halve was covered in a deep red velvet wall covering. A large dark colored desk was near the windows that over looked the night club. Chains with handcuffs, whips and cranes lined the walls, none of which were used for punishment.

Shepard could tell that this was her private pleasure palace as well as business office. Naked and half naked Asari lay outstretched across lounge chairs and fur floor coverings. None of them was paying any attention to Aria or the men that entered the room, all of them too high to even know what day it was.

Garrus shuffled his feet uncomfortably as he noticed many of the girls pleasuring themselves and each without a care in the world. It was hard for him to not notice, but he kept his head down trying not to stare. He was a gentleman, or at least he tried to be.

Aria smacked two of the girls on their asses as they made their way into the room. "Get out. All of you," she said. None of the girls moved, or even paid attention to what the woman was saying. Aria grabbed a bag filled with what looked like Red Sand from the desk drawer and threw it into the elevator. The woman all stopped what they were doing and gasped when they saw they bag flying through the air and into the elevator. They scrambled to get to their feet, many of them still naked clambering to get there first.

Aria pushed the elevator button when the last girl made it in, sending the woman downstairs. Garrus wiped his brow plate and raised his head when he heard the familiar ping of the elevator descending.

"I think we made your friend uncomfortable," Aria said with a laugh as she took a seat behind the large desk, motioning for them to take the two chairs on the other side.

Shepard patted Garrus on the arm, moving them both forward to the black covered seats.

"So, you said that Birdy is your sister?" Aria asked as she fiddled with a datapad that lay on the desk.

Shepard nodded. "Yes, she is my twin. How do you know her?" he asked curiosity driving him forward. He was doing everything he could to keep his cool, but if the Asari woman kept playing games he didn't know what he would do. Grabbing her by the neck and twisting was sounding better and better to him. _No, stay calm. Can't do that if she knows something about my sister. Keep calm, just keep calm._

The Asari woman eyed the men from across the desk before she answered his question. "She comes and goes from Omega. She is an…. interesting woman to say the least," Aria said with a wicked smile.

Garrus could feel the frustration flowing off his friend. He watched as friends face turned from calm and controlled to anger and distain. "I want to know what you know about my sister. She is missing and I need to find her," Shepard said through gritted teeth.

The Asari laughed. "It isn't want you think. She is only missing to you, but then again you've been dead for two years, so maybe you're the one that is lost to her," she said setting down the datapad and folding her fingers across her chest.

Shepard stood up so quickly that he almost sent his chair flying backwards. "Tell me what you know, now," he said very slowly, emphasizing each syllable. Garrus stood up and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. Shepard turned his head to look at his friend but not before looking into the Asari's eyes, making sure she understood that he was serious. The woman's eye never shifted, never even looked away from Shepard's. _She's not afraid, doesn't even flinched. No wonder she is Omega. Gotta have respect for a woman like that._

Shepard sat back down. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he rubbed his forehead. "I just want to make sure she's okay. I just want to tell her that I'm alive," he said in confession.

Aria nodded, she understood where Shepard was coming from, if only a little. "Okay, I'll tell you everything I know," she said as she leaned back. "I meet Birdy about four years ago. She came here, to Omega, to 'clean house' if you will. At first I paid her little attention. She just seemed to be a young girl that wanted to clean the streets. I figured that one of the lesser gangs or one of the people she was going after would wise up and take her out, but it never happened. She turned out to be better than I or anyone else expected."

Aria rose from the desk and stood by the window gazing out into the night club scene. "She kept coming back, stealing money from the rich and giving it to the poor, never once taking anything for herself, but she never left her victims without anything. She told me once that she would spend time analyzing their accounts before taking the money, never leaving them without, just enough to survive. I asked her why she even bothered, she told me 'why would I leave with nothing, when that is what I am trying to eliminate. They would still be a part of the problem, not the solution.'"

Aria turned to the men that sat across from her at her desk. "About a year ago she came back, right around the time of your Archangel," she said as she pointed to Garrus. Garrus' eyes grew wide. "Oh don't be so shocked. Of course I know who you were," she said as she chuckled. "You should be thanking Birdy by the way. She's the reason you got half of you information, and kept your life."

Garrus rubbed his brow plate. "Are you saying that Shepard's sister feed me information?"

Aria nodded. "Yes, she even was the one that convinced me not to kill you myself," she said as she took her seat. "She convinced me that by letting you take out the gangs I could come up behind them and own them outright. They wouldn't struggle as much because they wouldn't be able to without the manpower and I wouldn't lose anyone in the process. It would be a win-win for everyone," she said with a wicked smile.

Shepard laughed. It all made sense to him. "Looks like Birdy already knows who you are Garrus. Which makes sense, I did tell her about you before…. well, before I died," Shepard said as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

Garrus eyed his friend. He didn't know what to think. _It's odd to think that someone was helping me when I didn't even know it. Someone was… looking out for me…. What do humans call them…. a Guardian Angel. _"It makes sense. There were times that I found information a little too easily. Things that we should not have found we found with ease," Garrus dropped his head into his hands. "How did I not know? I should have known this Shepard, I'm sorry."

Shepard patted his friend on the shoulder. "Not with my sister. She's great at hiding what she does. Covering her tracks has always been her specialty and it doesn't surprise me that she would go out of her way to help you," Shepard said making eye contact with Garrus. "You were doing something that she doesn't do, or can't do even though she always wanted too."

Aria laughed. "That is true, Birdy is not the most….how would you say it….conventional woman," she said with a laugh. "She was always very…..awkward. But I do applaud her for her beliefs."

"Why is it that you listened to her?" Shepard asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Aria rubbed her hands together before she answered. "There are very few people in this world that are not afraid of me, he being one of them," she said as her eyes drifted to another time. "Besides, the woman has heart something you don't see very often anymore. Especially around here."

Shepard nodded as he rubbed his eyes. "Do you know where she is now?" he asked needing, wanting to know where his sister was.

Aria shook her head. "All I know is that she want on what she called a 'Suicide Run'," she said with what looked like regret in her eyes. "I can tell you that she's on some sort of list now. She never told me anything other than that. Said that it was a 'clan' thing," Aria said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Shepard nodded, he knew exactly what she was talking about and he knew that it wasn't a good thing. "She has her fights here on Omega doesn't she?" he asked.

Aria nodded with a questionable look in her eyes. "Yes, she does. They usually contact me and then I contact her," she said as she punched in a set of numbers on to a computer.

Shepard's eyes grew wide. "Great! Can you contact her, tell her that she has a challenger?" he asked edging closer in his seat.

"Already done," Aria said with a wide smile.

"Thank you," Shepard said as he rose from his seat. Garrus was still in shock by the news he had heard that he barely noticed his friend's hand on his shoulder. "I guess I owe you big Aria."

Aria raised her hand. "Not anytime soon Shepard," she said as she too rose from her desk and a wicked smile crossed her lips. "And it won't be as painful as you think."

Shepard shook his as his own smile crossed his lips. _I'm almost afraid to know what she has planned, but in this case it doesn't matter, she helped me find my sister and that's all that matters._

The three of them walked to the elevator. "Shepard, I hope she doesn't try to kill you," Aria said as she punched in the code. "It would be a shame if she succeeded."

Shepard nodded. "Yeah, I hope she doesn't try either," Shepard said with a chuckle as the elevator door closed.

"Shepard, I had no idea it was your sister that was helping me," Garrus said with a sigh. "Hell, I didn't even know I was getting help. I guess I just didn't want to question it."

Shepard chuckled as the elevator door opened. "Look, like I said it doesn't surprise me that she helped you, or that you didn't know," he said as they made their way through the noisy night club. "You would only know if she wanted you to know. She likes to stay a ghost. Honestly, I didn't even think that Aria would know about her. I thought it was just going to be a shot in the dark when we went."

Garrus nodded as he opened the door to exit the night club. "What did you mean by 'I was doing something that she doesn't do, or couldn't do even if she tried'?" Garrus asked as they walked out into the night stale night air. Garrus was tired of Omega, the way it smell, the noises, especially the people. In so many ways he was glad that Shepard was back, he didn't even know where to start.

Shepard laughed as he thought about the best way to decide his sister. "Let's just say she is a confusing and frustrating woman. Probably one of the strangest people you'll meet," he said as he shook his head. "She believes in sticking up for the little guy, taking justice into her own hands. She doesn't believe in politics or the law, because in her experience they don't work." Shepard thought back to their childhood and how difficult it was for both of them. _No matter how bad it was for us, she just believed…. Until there was nothing left in her…._

Garrus watched as his friends usual bright blue eyes turned dark with thoughts he wasn't talking about. "Things weren't easy for us growing up, but she always believed and people took advantage of her. She's got a good heart, and people like her usually don't survive, but she found that if she stayed away, kept to herself and never let anyone in she would…..be safe," Shepard said as he shook the thoughts out of his head. "I always tried to protect her, but I lost my way, while she never really did. She always stayed true to who she is. I just hope she's still the same person she used to be." Shepard left those thoughts behind as they neared the Normandy.

Shepard laughed at the thought of the two of them fighting over his decisions. "When I first joined the Alliance she was so mad, but she came around and convinced me that if I was going to make my life in the military than I should make it for the best," he said as he shook his head with a smile across his lips. "She's the reason why I do the things I do these days. Otherwise, you'd probably have a 'who gives a fuck, I'm gonna kick your ass till you do what I say' type of Shepard."

Garrus laughed. The thought of Shepard being like that didn't really surprise him. Shepard's a fun loving, comic, with a good heart, but when it came down to it he a mouth on him that got him in more trouble than he probably liked. Garrus remember the arguments that Shepard and Wrex would get into. There were times he thought he was going to have to split them up into different corners before they ripped a hole in the cargo bay.

"I can actually believe that," Garrus said laughing at the neared the Normandy. "I remember those fights with Wrex. You're a big guy for a human, but Krogans are still bigger."

"Yeah, yeah laugh it Vakarian," Shepard said as he rolled his eyes. "Those fights with Wrex were nothing compared to what I used to do when I was a kid. I was a big hot-head back in the day. I've mellowed out with old age I guess."

Garrus eyed his friend. "For some reason I really would like to meet the 16 year old you, just to compare the two," Garrus said as his mandibles wide in a grin as they stepped foot onto the Normandy.

Shepard laughed when he realized that Garrus' wish might actually come true, so to speak. "Well, when you meet my sister you'll see more of my younger self. Not the angry, I'm gonna beat you up, but the version of me that picks on my sister all the time," he said as he remember all the mean things he used to do to her.

The Normandy was quite, _it must be later than I thought. _The two chit-chatted for a moment longer before they went their separate ways, both tired from their long day.

Shepard went to his cabin and pulled off his armor. He made a note to EDI for the Normandy to come back to Omega within a week's time and made sure she was aware of the deliveries that were to arrive in the morning.

"Or course Commander," EDI's smooth voice said. "I will make sure your XO knows as well."

"Thank you EDI," Shepard said half paying attention to the AI. He was far more focused on what assignment they were to head off and do next. He soon decided that it would be best to head to Tuchanka to get the Krogan Warlord. _It's going to be fun having a Krogan onboard again. Maybe we can clear an area down by the shuttle for some matches. Always love showing those Krogan how hard I can hit. _

Shepard smiled as he crawled into his bed. _Things seem to be looking up. I found Garrus and my sister. If they're gonna be on my crew than I know I can trust them at my 6._

Garrus walked through the deserted mess hall. _Everyone must be asleep. Good make it easier to walk through the ship without people staring. _The people on the new Normandy were polite, but they were still Cerberus, human only interested. Not saying that he was ever interested in humans, at least until he met Shepard who changed his mind about them. Shepard showed him that humans weren't as aggressive and weak as many people think. Shepard showed everyone on the Council that human's had heart and strength. He sacrificed thousands of human lives to save them, and they still forgot everything he had done.

Garrus huffed as he opened the door to the main battery and started to remove his damaged armor. Looking over his chest piece he wondered if he should maybe look into getting a new one, but he soon thought against it. _This is going to be my reminder of what I have survived and what I must still finish. My team will have their justice! _

Pulling on his super soft shirt and pants and crawled underneath his blankets on his cot. He head swam with so many thoughts: Shepard being alive, his team being destroyed, back on the Normandy, working with Cerberus, and then Shepard's sister Birdy. _How can she know who I am? I know that Shepard said he had mentioned me once or twice, but that doesn't mean she would know who I am on Omega. I just don't understand._

Garrus tossed and turned, he couldn't get the thoughts in his mind to stop. His mind wander back to a woman he had never met, but knew him. Someone who had helped him when he didn't know he was getting help, and just happened to be his best friend's sister. _The way that Aria and Shepard talked about her she seems like a hell of a woman, almost too good to be true. _

As his eyes started to shut, Garrus' last thoughts were about a woman he would met in a week. A woman that went out of her way to help him without him even noticing she was. _What makes me so special that she wanted to help me? How did she even know who I was? _Those thoughts ran through his mind as his eyes closed his first full night's sleep in ages.


	5. The Release of a Warlord

_A/N: __Hello everyone how has been following and enjoying my story. Thank you very much for keeping with it! I wanted to thank ErsbethShadowSong, shelbicarp and Golden RCG in following my story. And I also wanted to thank GC42 and skies192 for leaving me a review. It always helps to know that people are enjoying it. Please let me know what you think! I am always curious to know what you guys think._

Things couldn't have gone any worse when Shepard and company had finally made their way to Korlus. Not only was the planet hot and humid, which made Shepard miserable, but it was filled to the brim with junk. The planet was known for being a starcraft cemetery. Its biggest commonalty other than recycling was murder, known for being second for murder in the Terminus Systems and first in offworld murder.

And then there was the Blue Suns. _Damned bastards._

Shepard exited with Mordin and Jacob at his side, as well as Zaeed and Garrus taking up the rear with their sniper rifles drawn. They all heard her over the loud speaker, yelling and intimidating her crew to fight.

"Someone likes the sound of her voice," Garrus said sarcastically.

Zaeed laughed in agreement, while Mordin kept himself busy looking around, scanning various objects and picking up samples. While Jacob merely rolled his eyes not only at Garrus' comment, but also Mordin and his constant sampling of the environment around him, yet it didn't stop him from realizing both of their potential in the group. _The Illusive Man may be a traitorous bastard and I will never trust him, but he does know how to bring a good group of people together. I wonder how this Warlord will play into everything._

"_Being hired is merely the beginning. You must __**earn**__ your place in the mighty army we are building,"_ the woman over the loudspeaker said.

Shepard motioned for Zaeed and Garrus to flank behind and to keep their scopes on the horizon for any mercs that would have the unlucky timing of popping their heads up, while Mordin and Jacob flanked right behind Shepard himself. The team made their way through the dump, finding random placements of garbage that was arranged for different combat and lookout positions.

"Lookout positions, equipped for combat," Mordin mused as they too took their positions using the setup as they started getting fired upon by Blue Suns Troopers.

It didn't take long for the several mercs to be taken down by Shepard and his crew.

"Not difficult," Garrus mused with a smile as he sniped the last merc.

"They never had a chance," Zaeed agreed.

When they made their way through the area Shepard noticed there was a wounded human merc hiding behind a broken slab of concrete.

"Shit, shit. It won't stop bleeding…. I'm gonna….son-of-a-bitch!" the merc said as he held onto his side, struggling to get to his feet.

Shepard, Garrus and Mordin stepped closer to the bleeding merc while Jacob and Zaeed held watch.

"It doesn't look that bad actually," Garrus said as he stepped closer to the wounded man.

"Yeah, he doesn't need to know that," Shepard said under his breath.

"Suck it up soldier," Zaeed commented behind everyone as he kept his scope open on the horizon.

The wounded man eyed Shepard and his crew with a grimace on his face. "I knew it wasn't berserkers. Not at range. You're mercs. Or Alliance. I'm not….. I'm not telling you anything," the man stammered through gritted teeth.

Shepard twitched his lips into a crooked smile. "I've got a nice application of Medi-gel ready to go. But if you'd rather I just keep walkin'…" Shepard said as he started to turn his back on the merc.

"Son-of-a…. I just, I don't know anything, I just shoot the overflow from the labs. The old Krogan up there, he's really cleaning house," the wounded merc said as he favored his left side. "Jedore hired him to make her an army, but the Krogan he's created are insane, so we use them for live ammo training. It's all crap. I don't get paid enough to goddamn bleed out!"

The merc coughed up some blood as someone on his comm contacted him. _"Outpost four? Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that Krogan pack,"_ the male voice said over the wounded merc's headset.

Shepard stepped forward, facing the merc mere inches away from his face. "I want your friends gone. Understood?" he said with a near snarl.

The wounded merc coughed again before he answered, "uh, patrol? The last group….dispersed. Lost sight five minutes ago."

"_Dispersed? Jedore will be pissed. She wanted a show,"_ the angered male voice said.

"You wanted a report, you got one. Dispersed," the wounded merc argued back before shutting off the comm between himself and his fellow. "There. You see? I'm helping," the merc said as he turned back to Shepard.

Shepard stepped back from the wounded man. He asked the man several questions about Okeer, Jedore, Krogan and fortifications. The information Shepard received helped him form the plans for them to move forward through the compound.

"If you start limping now you might find a shady spot to bleed out," Shepard said as he started to turn back to his crew.

"Shit, shit!" the wounded merc said as he limped away.

"That kid nearly pissed himself," Zaeed said with a smug grin.

"Adding insult to injury. Literally. Necessary?" Mordin asked as Shepard turned to his crew.

Shepard shrugged, "maybe not. Felt good though."

Shepard and his crew went over the plans that he had constructed through the conversation he just had with the wounded merc. Garrus hacked into the local comms so that they could listen in on their radio chatter. Zaeed and Garrus took their position as look-outs while Mordin and Jacob positioned themselves between them and Shepard.

"Let's move out. Our warlord is somewhere in Jedore's lab," Shepard said as they spread themselves out and moved along the path.

"_Training is part of your contract. Failure to perform means liquidations, legal and otherwise,"_ they heard Jedore say over the loudspeaker as they turned a corner, than another.

"Hostiles ahead," Zaeed said as the bullets started flying.

"Stay sharp people," Shepard said as he fired his assault rifle.

Garrus and Zaeed used their sniper rifles to target the men that hid on the balcony, while Jacob used his biotics and Mordin took down their shields. As a team they worked well together. Moving around the corners, making sure that no one had their six unguarded.

Shepard wondered for a moment how his sister would play into this team. _She's used to being on her own. Playing well with others isn't hard for her no, but she has always had a soft spot in her heart, no matter how hard I tried to get it out of her. She has never been able to make the hard decisions. Virmire would have been a nightmare for her. She would have wanted to been the one left behind. I know that the idea of letting someone else get hurt or be put in danger is something she always tries to avoid. I know that I will have to convince her that staying with the team and helping will be worth it._

The fight took longer than the last one, but it was still no problem for them. _Damn mercs are useless! They really should train these bastards better, _Garrus thought to himself. He smiled at them memory of all the mercs on Omega dying in his scope. Than he remember his team, and how he felt when he had let them down. The pain and rage reared its ugly head again, burning his throat and leaving a bad taste in his mouth. Swallowing it down felt like hot rocks going through his body, but it was the only thing he could to keep his focus.

Over the hacked comm Shepard and his crew heard the communications between the merc leaders. _"Lomm, tell Jedore we have a problem. Patrols are going dark. Either the Krogans are pushing, or we're being raided!" _the male voice said in a worried tone.

The fire fight picked back up again with even more mercs on the bridge across from them. With that being noted Shepard switched over to his sniper rifle in an attempt to aid Garrus and Zaeed. The three of them worked from behind concrete slabs. Mordin used his tech while Jacob used his biotics in support.

The mercs pushed harder than before.

"Just like old times!" Garrus exclaimed with a smile across his face. Shepard shook his head but he too smiled. _It really is starting to feel like old times. _

"You know this reminds me of a time when me and some others mercs had to take down some Batarian slavers…" Zaeed started.

"Not really the time Zaeed, maybe later," Shepard interrupted as a torpedo hit above their heads.

Zaeed grunted his response as they team continued their way down the path.

"_The Krogan are your example and your warning! As ferocious as they are, failures are expendable,"_ Jedore exclaimed over the loudspeaker.

Shepard replaced his sniper rifle, than pulled out his assault rifle as the company and himself moved. The path stayed quite for a moment, as well as the squad, all expect for Mordin who kept muttering things to himself as he gathered samples along the way.

"_Code six! Offworld presence! Shift fire from the Krogan! Hostiles in the compound!"_ another male voice said through the comm.

"Looks like we're going to have heavy fire soon, they finally figured out we're here," Shepard commented sarcastically.

"Ha, it's about time!" Garrus exclaimed as he looked through his scope. He sniped a merc when he landed found himself in his crosshairs.

"_We have guests in our compound. If they are not killed immediately all bonuses will be denied!" _

"Damn this woman, she really enjoys the sound of her voice," Jacob commented as they heard Jedore over the loudspeaker again.

Shepard and his team continued their assault while the mercs kept throwing their men at them. _These men are expendable. Why do they sign up for this life? _

Turn after turn Shepard and company took down each merc they saw in their path. Along the way they found a Krogan fully armored fighting on their side. Approaching the unknown Krogan carefully, Shepard lowered his gun and motioned for his team to follow suit, but to stay a safe distance back. The Krogan turned to them slowly, he made no move to fight, but when he stepped closer Garrus and Zaeed pulled their weapons.

"No, not needed boys," Shepard said to his crew as he stepped toward the Krogan. He was acting odd, not like your average Krogan.

"You…are different. New. You don't smell like this world," the Krogan said as he sniffed Shepard. "Seven night cycles, and I have felt only the need to kill. But you…something makes me speak."

"Seven night cycles? Seven days!" Garrus exclaimed with raised brow plates.

Shepard shook his head as he turned from the Krogan to his friend. "They must breed them full size, in the tank. Not much improvement over regular mercs if they need training," Shepard said with his own eyebrows raised.

"Bred…to kill. No," the Krogan said hesitantly. "Kill because my blood and bone tell me to. But it's not why I flushed from mother glass. Survival is what I hear in my head. Against the enemy that threatens all my kind. But I failed even before waking. That is what the voice said in the water. That is why I wait."

Shepard asked several questions, while Mordin did several scans on the tank-born Krogan. Mordin couldn't believe how well the Krogan had been built, _he seems perfect. No indication for failure seen. Seemingly perfect specimen. Scans read no known diseases. Nothing but Krogan._

"He is a part of a breeding program. Trying to escape the genophage effects? Unlikely. This is no cure," Mordin mused, mostly to himself. He had told Shepard about his work with the genophage and what he had done to change it when he worked with STG.

"It seems to be something like that," Shepard answered, even though he knew that Mordin wasn't talking to him. The genophage was a genetic disease that was created by the Salarians, but dispersed by the Turians about two thousand years ago. Shepard had always thought that the disease was a terrible idea, but he wasn't around two thousand years ago so he had no real say in the matter.

"Escape? Escape was never whispered. Survive. Resist. Ignore," was the Krogan's response to them.

Shepard continued his round of questioning, trying to understand what Okeer and Jedore was trying to accomplish with his tank-grown Krogans. However, the Krogan knew little to nothing about either Okeer or Jedore and that just annoyed Shepard and worried him. At this point they still had no idea what was going on and Shepard did not like that idea in the least. _I feel like we're walking into a trap….or something worse. _

"If what the mercenary was correct, Krogan prone to mental instability," Mordin reminded Shepard of what the wounded merc was saying before, as the tank-grown Krogan continued to say he was not 'perfect'.

Shepard shook his head. He didn't understand what was going on. "I had destroyed Saren's cure. How does Okeer expect these Krogan to ignore the genophage if not by curing it?" Shepard asked to Mordin.

Mordin shook his head. "Uncertain. Likely irrelevant. Appears Okeer has had no success," he said quickly as he tapped on his omni-tool. _This is not good. Cure must not be found. Must keep genophage in affect._

Shepard turned back to the tank-grown Krogan. "Can you show me the laboratory? I need to speak to Okeer?" he asked.

"The….glass mother. She is up. Past the broken parts. Behind many of you fleshy things. I will show you," the Krogan said as he turned his back to Shepard and company.

Shepard looked back to his crew and motioned for them to follow. Mordin followed close behind with Jacob, while Garrus and Zaeed took up the rear. They watched as the Krogan walked over to a large piece of metal that had fallen over the entrance and heaved it to the side.

"Okay we get it, Krogan are strong," Zaeed said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, glad he's friendly," Garrus commented back.

Shepard glanced down the pathway before turning back to the Krogan. He tried to convince the Krogan to come with them, but he refused. His response was simply that he was waiting, and he needed to stay there to fight. He will not run, and he will not follow.

Shepard watched as the Krogan walked back to his position. "Let's get to those labs," Shepard said as he motioned to his crew to move out. They pulled out their weapons and took their positions and quickly started making their way down the tunnel.

"So what do you think this Okeer is trying to do?" Jacob asked no one in particular.

"Not looking for cure. No other reason than just multiplying Krogan. Intended to help Jedore? No not likely. Probably using her resources," Mordin muttered.

"A Krogan army is what Saren was trying to do," Garrus said as he remembered his experience back on Virmire, how Saren was trying to do. Shepard only had one choice that day, even if it wasn't the one he wanted to make, but Saren had to be stopped and that cure was done out of torture and was going to be used only to gain an army than thrown away. Shepard had done the impossible that day when he talked Wrex down. Convincing the old Krogan that this 'cure' was dangerous and not what he was looking for took a strong leader indeed. If anyone on the original Normandy doubted Shepard, their doubts were extinguished at that point.

Hell, even Wrex respected Shepard more that day, and Garrus knew how hard that was:

_**Flashback:**_

"_Screw you, you damn Turian! Why don't you go find the proverbial rock you came from and crawl back under it!" Wrex exclaimed mere inches away from Garrus' face._

"_Why don't you make me!" Garrus yelled back his face contorted in anger. _

_Shepard exited the elevator just in time to watch as Wrex's large fist collided with the side of Garrus' face. 'Ah shit, what is it this time?' Shepard thought to himself. He quickly made his way to the fight, and tried to separate the brutes. _

_Ashley's eyes were wide with fear as she ran passed him to safety. _

_After several minutes of talking the two fools down Shepard finally got them to cool down. "You know that Joker will be really pissed if you guys rip a damn hole in his haul," Shepard scolded. "Now are we going to put our difference in species aside and work together?"_

_Wrex and Garrus just stared at each other for a moment before they both nodded in agreement. "Great! Now I don't expect you two to hug and make each other your children's god parents or nothin', but we've got some serious work to do here and I need you both to work together," Shepard said as he placed a hand on each of their shoulders._

_The two men grunted in response as they turned their backs to each other._

"_So where did you learn such big words Wrex? Proverbial rock, nice insult with that," Garrus said with a chuckle._

"_Yeah I figured you would like that bird brains," Wrex commented back with his own chuckle._

_Shepard watched the two men exchange insults as he shook his head. 'I guess this is how it's going to be between those two,' he mused to himself with a grin, and he was right._

_Shepard never thought he would see the day that a Krogan and a Turian would call each other friends, but they soon did. Hell, he himself never thought that he would think the same way about a Turian or a Krogan, but he did. Shepard, Wrex and Garrus were the main brutal force that was his team, and there wasn't a day that went by that Shepard wasn't thankful he didn't have to put down his friend that day on Virmire. _

_**Meanwhile back on the Normandy:**_

Miranda sat in her office pouring over paper work that she didn't want to do, but being the XO she had too. _Maybe I should hire a secretary? No, there's no way Shepard or the Illusive Man would be okay with that. _With a great sigh she continued her mundane work.

"Miss. Lawson, the Illusive Man is in the comm room. He would like to speak to you," EDI's smooth voice said as she broke through Miranda's work.

"Thank you EDI," Miranda responded back to the AI. She had no idea what it was that he wanted, but it must be something important if he went out of his way to contact her when Shepard was not aboard the ship.

Miranda made her way down to the comm room. It was easy to go down there unnoticed for now, but she knew that these little 'chats' would become more difficult to hide once more of Shepard's team was constructed, but for now it was nothing but Cerberus on board and none of them would say a word and she knew that.

Entering the comm room she watched as the meeting table disappeared and turned into a hologram projection. She quickly stepped onto the circle and waited for the hologram to be projected.

"Miranda, it's good to see you," the Illusive Man said as he took a drag on his cigarette.

"You as well Illusive Man," Miranda responded, her smooth voice lacking any sort of emotion as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"I wanted to talk to you about Shepard. See how his crew is coming along."

"Everything is going as planned," she said, but this time a hint of annoyance crossed her voice for a moment. "You have my updates. What is this really about Illusive Man?"

The Illusive Man chuckled lightly, _nothing gets passed her. _"I wanted to talk about Shepard's sister. I think that she could be a threat to our mission," he said as he exhaled cigarette smoke. "Has he come any closer to finding her?"

Miranda took a deep breath, she hadn't expected this, but she also knew very little about the woman. "I know that they are supposed to meet on Omega in a week," she commented as she rubbed her forehead.

"Do you know anything about her?" he asked as he rolled his cigarette in his ashtray.

Miranda shook her head. "I've tried to find something, but it seems she has fallen off the grid in the past ten years or so," she said as she started to pace the small little circle. "However, when she was younger she was some sort of prodigy. Music, art, dance you name it she was excellent in it all, but something happened I presume because after their 17th birthday she just stopped. Dropped off the grid it seems."

The Illusive Man nodded as he took a drag from his cigarette. "A couple of years previous she was exposed to a large amount of eezo, but it didn't cause her to become biotic until she was about 17, that is when she got the implant.

"Now from what I can tell the implant didn't work very well so she had to find 'other' ways to help. She ended up in a temple in the mountains of Japan studying budo from the monks. She apparently became very good, too good even for them. The clan she ended up joining betrayed her and turned away from the _'true beliefs'_," the Illusive Man said with a wave of his hand. "The woman believes strongly in _'justice'_ and _'doing what is right'_. Even if it means breaking the law, but she will never waver from her _'true'_ purpose. She has become something of a _'cleaner', _if you will. Taking out the people and clans that have stopped following the _'true path'_, the clan's dirty little secret, and you know how they keep their secrets."

Miranda could tell that the Illusive Man was getting annoyed with this woman 'honor', and in many ways she became interested in meeting this woman. _Everyone's honor has a breaking point. _"So what exactly are you trying to say?"

The Illusive Man took the last drag from his cigarette before he put it out into his ashtray. "I know that once he finds her Shepard will convince her to join him. It's in her nature to help the helpless. And when she does she will be that little angle on his shoulder, and I'm going to need you on his other shoulder," he said his pupils shifting ever so slightly. "We have plans beyond the Collectors for Shepard and I need you to convince him that they would be in his best interest."

Miranda dropped her arms and stared at the man in front of her. "What are you asking me to do? Seduce him?" she asked.

The Illusive Man chuckled evilly. "I telling you to do whatever it takes to make him understand that our way _**is**_ the best way," he said with a crooked grin.

Miranda returned his wicked smile. "Understood. I will make sure it is done."

"Very good. I hope to hear from you soon," he said before he turned off the hologram.

Miranda stepped off the hologram projector as quickly as she could. She didn't know what she was going to do, but there was nothing she could until she figured out what Shepard's sister was like. _ I knew we should have put in that damned mind control devise in his head! _

She made her way back to her office, musing over the conversation she just had with the Illusive Man. _If she studied budo than I wonder what type of martial arts she learned? Could be anything if she truly went to the source, but would they train someone who was an outsider? _Miranda laughed to herself as she thought about it. _There are far greater 'outsiders' out there than she at this point. Besides it sounds like the old clans have even lost their way. _

_I can't stop him from bring his sister along, and besides we need all the help we can get at this point and if she is filled with so much 'honor' than she will help. I just need to know what type of influence she is on him._

Miranda laughed as she sat back down at her desk. She knew how to seduce a man, that wasn't the issue, but she also knew that Shepard had a relationship with Liara, an Asari scientist, and she wondered if she could get him to sway from her. _Two years is a long time for a human, but it's nothing for an asari. I wonder if there is still something there. I suppose I am going to have to start digging a little into that._

Miranda continued with her paperwork as she waited for Shepard to return with the Krogan Warlord. _I suppose the games begin now. _

_**Back on Korlus:**_

Shepard and company made their way through the building, avoiding the pieces or metal and concrete that were falling around them. "Too many fire fights in here has the building crumbling around us. Stay sharp people," Shepard said as he looked through his scope on his assault rifle.

Shepard could feel his crew tense up around him as they went around another corner than another. The fire fights continued to increase as they continued through the crumbling building.

"_We authorized that Krogan to be released? Okeer? I will have order in my compound!"_ Jedore's voice rang over the loudspeaker as a Krogan berserker charged at Shepard. They came from all sides at this point.

"Switch to close combat!" Shepard exclaimed.

Garrus and Zaeed switched to their assault rifles, while Mordin used his tech to disarmor the Krogan as Jacob used his biotics to unsettle as many as possible. The heat was on, and they were all feeling it now.

However, it didn't take long for Shepard and company to gain the upper hand. _"Krogan took down the grid. Their getting hit on all sides! Where are the all the heavies?" _the radio chatted exclaimed. It was obvious that Jedore and her crew were getting worried.

With one last biotic push from Jacob the last of the Krogan berserkers went through a large hole in the floor, landing several stories down.

"_Krogan on our six! Copy, god damn it! Where's Jedore and her personal guard?" _ a frantic voice said over the radio.

Shepard and company made their way up another floor and found themselves in the middle of a fire fight between Blue Suns and the tank-grown Krogan. Quickly they extinguished them before they knew that Shepard and his team had even showed up.

"_Jedore does not pay for failures! Do your jobs, I want them dead!"_ Jedore's voice said as it rang over the loudspeaker.

After rounding another corner, they found themselves exchanging bullets again with the Blue Suns. "We must be half way there!" Shepard yelled over the barrage of bullets that flow over his head as he ducked behind a crate.

"_Concentrate on the Krogan charge, or we're all dead! Who was the genius that gave them arms?" _

Shepard couldn't help but laugh at this particular chatter. "How do they expect them to be useful if they don't have arms?" he asked to no one in particular.

"It seems that someone on the inside is messing with Jedore and her crew. Okeer maybe?" Garrus mused lightly.

Shepard nodded as Mordin commented, "Seems possible. To help us? Maybe, probable."

"_I paid for competence! Kill the trespassers! I will deal with the traitorous Okeer!" _Jerode snarled over the loudspeaker.

The attack from the Blue Suns continued, but it seemed to be little problem for Shepard and his company. Shepard found himself to be very pleased with his crew. He knew that Garrus was a great soldier and could work with anyone. He even knew that Jacob was great, but he found himself pleasantly surprised by Mordin and Zaeed. At first he didn't have a clue as to whether Mordin could fire a weapon, but the Salarian proved to hold his own. Even Zaeed could play well with others, and that was something that Shepard needed at this point.

"_The berserkers are going down, but the outside commandoes are still incoming! Repeat, still incoming!" _a frantic voice said over the radio chatter.

"Hey Shepard, you think they're getting scared?" Garrus said with a chuckle, his mandibles flaring ever so lightly as a Blue Suns Trooper went down with a clean head shoot.

"I think you might be onto something there Vakarian!" Shepard chirped back, making his own headshot.

"_I need everyone out of the labs to fight this! Every floor, every outpost! Move_!" the same frantic voice said.

Shepard and his crew continued on, making their way to another bridge. The heat of the sun burning off the sweat that stilled on his brow. Their pace quickened as they neared the end, only to be stopped by another round of Blue Suns.

"_No more! I command that they be killed! What is so hard to understand?" _Jedore's frantic voice said over the loudspeaker.

"_What do you mean Jedore's holding the mercs? She'll loss all her toys if we don't get any backup_!" the same frantic male voice from before said.

The fight continued on. Garrus and Zaeed switched over to their sniper rifles to get to the mercs that had the rocket launchers. While Mordin helped drop the shields so that Shepard could take out and Jacob pulled as many men he could before using his shot gun on them.

"_There's five of them! Five of them and you can't kill them! Anyone can be killed if you try hard enough!"_ Jedore's voice rang over the loudspeaker again.

Soon they made their way across the bridge and up a few flights of stairs where they heard the same angered male voice over the radio waves. _"Jedore! Damn it, someone get her off those speakers and out here!"_

At this point Shepard knew that he was causing unrest within Jedore and her Blue Suns. _Good. Easier to take them out this way, _he thought to himself. He knew that everyone else was thinking the same thing.

There was more radio chatter as Shepard and his team landed topside. _"Trespassers are topside! Tell Jerdore that we can't hold them and the Krogan! We're getting slaughtered!"_

The fight ensued, and the Blue Suns just kept coming. They came stronger and stronger with each wave. They tried to push Shepard and his team back, but to no avail.

"_Squad four? Outpost? Report! Damn it. Have to do everything myself_," Jedore said over the loudspeaker.

"Good finally we get to meet this bitch face to face!" Shepard exclaimed as he took cover to recover his shields.

"Sounds like she's finally had enough of her crew dying out here," Garrus scoffed as he overloaded the shields of a merc before Zaeed killed him.

"I'm surprised they keep pouring out at us like this," Jacob responded as he pulled a merc close enough for Mordin to take the shot.

"This is nothin' kid. Wait till they get real desperate," Zaeed grunted taking out a nearby merc.

Shepard laughed at the exchange his crew mates were having. He knew that Jacob was young, but he also knew that he had seen his fair share of combat and he was a very skilled biotic that could handle himself.

The fighting was getting tougher as they continued toward the labs, but nothing was going to stop Shepard and his team. Rounding another corner they made their way across another bridge. When Shepard opened the door across the bridge, they were greeted with a familiar face.

"Shepard, don't shoot! You know me!" Rana Thanoptis exclaimed as she raised her hands in submission. Shepard remembered this woman. She was working with Saren when he was trying to find a cure for the genophage. "I shut down the security cameras as soon as I saw it was you. Never thought I say it, but I'm glad you're the one shooting this place up."

"I assume you have a good reason for being at this lab?" Shepard asked as he crossed his arms. He didn't like the idea of him making a mistake by letting her live two years ago.

"Don't worry, I'm not wasting the chance you gave me. My work here—strictly beneficial," she said making sure that Shepard knew she was trying to help. "Not for the mercs. Jedore's on a standard power trip. But Okeer is trying to do something good here, I can tell. Even if his methods are a little…extreme."

Shepard looked around the little room. There were dead Krogan bodies everywhere and part of him wondered if he had made the right choice by letting her keep her life all those years ago. "Everyone deserves a second chance. Right? And sometimes giving one pays off. I take care of my debts," Rana continued.

Shepard asked the woman several questions, trying understand what was going on between Okeer and Jedore. His earlier suspicions about the two seemed to be correct. _Jedore wants an army, she wants numbers, but Okeer isn't looking for a cure and he doesn't want numbers. What is he looking for?_

"Finding you in a place like this makes me wonder if letting you go was a good idea. You don't want that," Shepard stated after he had finished his questions about Okeer and Jedore.

"We agree on that. Don't worry, I plan on staying as far away from anything to do with you as possible," Rana said as she shuffled her feet from side to side. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to run like hell before you blow this place or something. I know how you work."

Shepard watched as the woman turned and walked out of the small room. He couldn't help but wonder again if there was something else he could, to ensure that she wouldn't harm anyone else. However, he knew that at this point in time he had much bigger fish to fry.

"Should have killed her. Too much Knowledge without ethical boundaries," Mordin muttered as he shook his head. Shepard couldn't help but agree with every word he said.

"We have a much bigger issue to deal with now," Shepard said as he pulled his rifle from his back. "Let's move out!"

"Right behind you Shepard," Garrus said as he too readied his weapon.

Shepard and his crew made their way to the door on the other side of the room. Wondering and hoping if it was a where their Warlord was hiding.

Opening the door they were greeted by a Krogan working next to what looked like a life-support pod. Zaeed, Jacob and Garrus stayed back and watched the doors, while Shepard and Mordin walked closer to the Warlord. Mordin found himself very interested in all the equipment and science that was in the room. He quickly started tapping at his Omni-tool.

"Here you are! I have watched your progress," the Krogan stated as he continued his work. "It's about time. The batteries on these tanks will not last while you play with those idiotic mercs."

"I take it your Okeer. You don't seem particularly caged….or grateful that I am here," Shepard said with slight annoyance as he scratch his head.

Okeer scoffed. "You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Shepard in not a sign of gentle change," he said not even looking up from his console.

Shepard was surprised that Okeer knew how he was. The look must have lingered on his face because when Okeer finally turned to look at the human he chuckled half-heartedly. "Surprised? All Krogan should know you. I'm sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire."

Shepard closed his eyes and shook his head. "I didn't have a lot of finesse. If there'd been any other solution, I'd consider it."

Okeer shook his head. "But I approve. Saren's pale horde were not true Krogan. Numbers alone mean nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one that these mercenaries have also made," he said with complete disgust. "I gave their leader my rejects for her army. But she grows impatient. It's time for you to take me out of here."

"Personal issues irrelevant. Here for the Collectors," Mordin stated very matter-of-factly as he turned back to Shepard and Okeer.

Okeer shook his head, as if he was musing over Mordin's words. "I see. Yes. Collector attacks have increased. A human concern. My requests were focused elsewhere," he said as he walked next to his life-support pod. "I acquired the knowledge to create one pure soldier. With that, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer. To be ignored."

Shepard and Mordin moved to get a better look in the tank. What they saw was a young looking Krogan. Shepard continued his line of questioning while Mordin studied the tank and the Krogan inside.

"What did you get from the Collectors? I need whatever you know about them," Shepard asked the Warlord.

Okeer watched Mordin for a moment before he answered Shepard's question. "They are strange. So isolated, yet very available when your sacrifice is big enough. I gave them many Krogan," Okeer said with little care for his own people. "I may have information for you, but the tech was consumed in my prototype, after I determined how to use it without it killing the subjects. The deaths were unfortunate, but I only need one success to start the process."

Shepard looked over to Mordin who continued tapping on his Omni-tool. He wasn't sure what was so important about this one Krogan, but it didn't matter right now. Right now Shepard needed to get him out of here before Jedore did something to jeopardize that.

"I have to ask: Why are you not interested in curing the genophage?" Shepard asked rubbing his forehead.

Okeer scoffed. "Contrary to what survivors claim, the genophage does not produce strong Krogan—the only quality it filters is the ability to survive the genophage. For every stillborn, too many weaklings live. Every survivor is branded as precious. That's produced more coddling than your Collective human teats," Okeer said with annoyance. Shepard couldn't help his own annoyance reach the surface. "I say let us carry the genophage! Let a thousand die in a clutch. We will defeat it by climbing atop our dead. That is our way!"

Shepard rubbed his forehead, but he knew that he needed the Warlord, no matter crazy his methods were. "Your methods are extreme, but you know how to deconstruct a threat. Will you help us?" Shepard asked.

"Perhaps I can strike a deal to secure passage. But my prototype is not negotiable. It is the key to my legacy," Okeer said with determination in his voice.

"Attention! I have traced the Krogan release. Okeer of course," Jedore's voice rang over the loudspeaker as if on cue.

"Shepard, I smell trouble," Garrus said as he neared the window on the other side of the lab.

Okeer too neared the window himself and watched as Jedore paced the floor below them. "I'm calling a 'blank slate' on this project. Gas these commandoes and start over from Okeer's data. Flush the tanks!" Jedore's voice rang over the loudspeaker.

At that very moment gas started to escape the vents from above their heads. Okeer snarled as he neared his project in a protective manner. "Is she that weak willed? She'll kill my legacy with a damned valve!" he exclaimed with rage in his voice. "Shepard! You want information on the Collectors? Stop her. She'll try to access contaminants in the storage bay."

Shepard nodded his head, _if this is the only way I can get this bastard on my ship than I'll do it. _"Okay, we'll get down there and deal with her," Shepard said. "What are you going to do?"

Okeer looked between Shepard and his tank-grown Krogan. "I will…..stay here and do what must be done," Okeer said with a small amount of regret in his voice.

Shepard nodded. "Let's move out!" Shepard said to his team.

Shepard and his team made their way out of the lab and quickly way down the flights of stairs to find Jedore.

The heat of the sun burning bright and nearly blinding them, the smell of rotting Krogan and garbage penetrated the air, burning Shepard's nostrils.

"I don't care who they are, I want them dead! This is my world! I'll poison them all!" Jedore's voice rang over the loudspeaker.

"Charming woman," Garrus muttered as he took his position.

"Yeah, no kidding," Shepard commented back. "Okay, Jacob and Mordin I need you guys to concentrate on the approaching Krogan and mercs, Zaeed and Garrus takeout Jedore and the people surrounding her."

"You dare!" Jedore growled.

With each tank that opened a new berserker Krogan would come out fully charged. Mordin threw all his tech at them to disable their shields, which gave both Jacob and Shepard the opportunity to take them out.

"I'll make more! There's always more!" Jedore exclaimed in a rage.

The Krogan went down heavy, but that didn't mean the battle was over. The heavy mechs were right around the corner, ready to attack. Mordin switch over and started chipping away at its shield. Jacob worked on trying to get Jedore out from her hiding place, but it was turning out to be more difficult. While Garrus and Zaeed were finding it difficult to hit her, but they did everything they could to pin her with a bullet.

"You can't escape everything!" Jedore exclaimed.

"Damn does this woman ever shut-up?" Shepard exclaimed.

Shepard pulled out his grenade launcher and started his attack on the heavy mech. With each grenade the mech's power went down. Mordin did what he could to take down not only the heavy mech's shields, but also Jedore's as well.

"Go ahead—destroy. I will rebuild!" she exclaimed over the loudspeaker again.

At this point Shepard was at his edge. He couldn't take the woman's annoying comments anymore, and he just wanted the woman to shut-up.

"Someone please shut that woman!" Shepard exclaimed.

"With pleasure," Garrus said with a smirk.

More Krogan came out from nowhere as they turned up the heat on Jedore. The mech went down, but not before Jedore shot a grenade at Shepard's head. He quickly rolled out of the way, while Garrus took the final shot, splitting Jedore's head in two.

"Alarms in the lab! What is that Krogan doing up there?" Garrus exclaimed as he heard the ringing coming from upstairs.

"Shepard, the lab's alarms coincided with the systems failure. The remaining lab systems are unprotected, and I have gained limited access," EDI's smooth voice said over the comm.

Shepard and his team ran up the stairs. They could hear the computers telling them "contamination detection. Emergency vent in progress," over and over again. They quickened their pace. _That bastard better not have done something stupid, _Shepard thought to himself as he neared the door to the laboratory.

Upon opening the door Shepard and his team heard Okeer over the computer system and saw his dead body laying next to the tank where his 'legacy'. "You gave me time, Shepard. If I knew why the Collectors wanted humans, I would tell you. But everything is in my prototype. My legacy is pure. This….one soldier, this grunt. Perfect," his image on the computer said.

Mordin checked Okeer's body, making sure he was dead. "He's gone. Shame," he said as he stood up.

Shepard moved around the tank, looking inside. It was a Krogan indeed and a big one, but he still looked rather young.

"Why would someone so fanatical sacrifice himself for one Krogan," Garrus asked as he too circled around the tank to get a better look at the Krogan inside.

"Delusional. Unlikely one Krogan, however strong, could have impact Okeer wanted. Am…almost certain," Mordin mutter as his face stood mere inches away from the glass as he tapped onto his Omni-tool. "Suggest leaving it."

"Great, an insane Krogan's prodigy. Just what we need," Zaeed grunted as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Shepard laughed. He didn't even know where to start, but he knew that he needed to take the Krogan with them. "Afraid he'll make your genophage obsolete Mordin?" he asked turning to the Salarian scientist.

"No. But Krogan genetically dangerous. Socially dangerous as well. Have enough enemies without adding this," Mordin said very matter-of-factly.

Shepard shook his head. "No, he comes with us," he said before turning back to the tank. "Normandy? Okeer is a no go. But we have a package that needs retrieval…...And it's a big one."


	6. Nothing Can be Easy

_**A/N: **__Thank you everyone who has been following my story, I am truly honored! I also wanted to thank wildcat717 and DameLeeLee for faving, following and leaving a comment. I always like to know if you guys are still enjoying the story._

_Please R&R. All comments are appreciated and welcome! Please let me know how you're enjoying the story so far. Thank you again and enjoy!_

* * *

Shepard, along with Garrus and Mordin, watched as the tank-grown Krogan was placed ever so gently down in the cargo bay. Shepard wanted to make sure that everything is going well with the tank and had asked both Mordin and EDI to run as many tests as they could before he decided what he wanted to do with it.

"I'd like a report as soon as you and EDI are finished Mordin," Shepard said as he turned to walk out.

The Salarian scientist nodded as he muttered to himself and continued to click away on his Omi-tool.

Garrus fell into step behind his friend and the two made conversation while they made their way to the comm room. He could hear the two humans, Jacob and Miranda, arguing before they even rounded the corner out of the armory. "Uh, should I wait out here?" he asked, not sure if he should walk into the firestorm that was already brewing.

"Yeah, why not?" Shepard asked, curiosity edging his voice.

"Well, -ah- I just don't want to step on any toes or anything," Garrus said quickly.

Shepard laughed. "Look, the only toes that matter around here are mine and I need someone in there that knows who I am," he said the smile fading slightly.

Garrus nodded. He wasn't sure what his friend meant, but if he needed him there then he was going to be there, or anywhere he needed him to be. So, he followed his friend as the doors to the comm room opened to Miranda and Jacob arguing over the Krogan.

"Bring the Krogan on board for study I get, but I have concerns about waking it," Miranda said as she paced the length of the long table in the middle of the comm room.

"Yeah, you've said that a few times already," Jacob said as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

Garrus was sure that you didn't need his heightened senses to tell there was tension between the two humans. In fact he was sure that Shepard sensed it too by the way he stood there letting the two humans fight it out before they realized they had entered the room.

"A normal Krogan is dangerous. This one was created, and likely educated, by a madman," she argued back at him.

"I wouldn't worry about the Krogan," Shepard said as he made his presence known to the two other humans. "He's sealed up tight in the cargo bay. I have Mordin and EDI running tests making sure everything is sound before I decide anything."

"Okeer might have placed some failsafe on the tank," Miranda said as she sank into her left hip.

"We'll be careful, but there is no way I am giving up on a potential resource," Shepard said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"It's your decision, Commander. Just be careful," Miranda said as she dropped her hand from her hip and swayed foot to foot.

"Noted," Shepard said with a nod of the head, dropping his hands down. "The cargo bay is safe enough until I get EDI and Mordin's report. Then I'll figure out what I want to do."

Miranda stopped, and Garrus could have sworn that she was going to argue, but instead shook her head and walked out the room. Jacob shrugged as he too shook his head and followed her out the door.

Shepard watched as the two Cerberus agents walked out of the room. He leaned his gauntleted hand on the table while he rubbed his forehead with the other. He head was starting to hurt. Correction: his head has hurt since he woke up; it was just at an undeniable leave now. He didn't know if it was his cybernetics or waking up in the middle of a firefight or hell, just plan exhaustion.

Garrus watched from the corner of the comm room as his friend pinched the bridge of this nose. He wondered if he should be worried for his friend. He saw the dark circles under his eyes, and he also knew the extreme way in which he was awoken and wondered if maybe that had something to do with it. _I know all this must be traumatizing, but I just don't know what to say. I've never been every good at this type of thing._

"Garrus, can I ask you a question?" Shepard asked, breaking the silence that hung thick in the air.

Garrus moved from the shadows of the corner, to lean against the same table, his metal boots clicking on the floor. "Of course Shepard, anything."

Shepard took a deep breath and turned his body to face Garrus. "What do you think about Okeer and his science project?" he asked with a slight chuckle to his tone.

Garrus chuckled lightly, his mandibles flaring slightly. "Science project huh? I'm not sure the Krogan will enjoy being called that. I'd watch myself if I were you," Garrus said as his chuckle increased to a nice rumbling laugh.

Shepard shared in his laugh for a moment before answering. "Yeah you might be right about that," he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "But seriously, do you think that Okeer would jeopardize his _'legacy'? _If he knows me than he knows that I would never wake up something that could possible harm my crew, and I wouldn't let it live either. Do you think that tank Krogan could really be harmful?"

Garrus tabbed his gauntleted finger on the table. He took a moment to mull over the words that Shepard had said. _Okeer said that he knew Shepard that all Krogan should know Shepard, and if that is true than he knows that Shepard would never endanger his crew or anyone else lives. He would put that Krogan down, without a second thought. _"Okeer was a madman, there is no doubting that, but I don't know what he could have implanted in that Krogan's mind," Garrus said with a slight sigh. "Look Shepard I think that you should be careful. But you know that I'm behind you 100%."

Shepard nodded, looking more tired than he had earlier. "Yeah," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think I need to sleep on this. Wait for EDI and Mordin's reports. Maybe they can make things look a little clearly."

The two friends chatted as they exited the comm room, then walked through the armory to the elevator in the CIC. "You have unread messages in your private terminal," Yeoman Kelly Chambers chirped as she noticed the two men walking through.

"I'll check them in my cabin," Shepard answered back without emotion.

Garrus watched as Kelly's happy face quickly turned into a pout. _Human faces are so easily read. I still have no idea what it is about them that is so attractive. I used to hear some of the other Turian C-Sec Officers talk about human woman and how they wanted to 'try one out'. I just never saw the appeal._

Shepard nodded to Garrus as he exited from the elevator at the Crew Courters level. Garrus wondered for a moment if there was more he could have said to his friend. However, he realized that this was an area in which neither of the men was good at, and there was no point in making it awkward.

Shepard road the elevator up to his courters, the familiar green glow of his unlocked door beckoned him to come inside. Walking inside he quickly pulled off his gauntlets and boots and flexed his joints. After spending countless hours in his armor, Shepard always felt the need to pop as many fingers and toes as he could.

Smiling to himself, Shepard continued taking off the rest of his armor, till there was nothing left but his bodysuit. He rolled his head back to help relieve of the tension that has been lingering since he woke up from death, and started tapping at his private message board.

There were a few thank you latters, and a couple of 'Oh my god, your alive!' _blah, blah, blah. _

_Oh shit, Admiral Hackett. _Shepard read the words every carefully, then again and again. _They found the old Normandy and now they want me to place a monument and pick up all the lost dog tags! Why do I feel like I'm always doing the Alliance's dirty work? It's probably because they know that I would do it in a heartbeat just for my men. _Shepard made a mental note to schedule a stop at the Citadel to pick up the monument. _Maybe I can give the crew a good 24 standard hours of shore leave. _

Shepard closed the message and was about to close the terminal when it pinged again, signifying that there was a new message waiting to be read. He looked at the message, but did not recognize who it came from and the 'no subject' in the topic line made it that more enticing.

Quickly he doubled clicked on it, a slight smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. However, it was quickly gone as he read the words that lay in front of him.

_Shepard,_

_There is something you should know. I have just received some information you might be interested in:_

_There are rumors going around that one of Birdy's many 'victims' have found her and are about to move in on her location. I listened a little hard and found out that they've hired some high profile and very skilled mercs and assassins to handle her. _

_Just as a suggestion; you may want to get there first. _

_The word is she's on Mindoir, and that's were their headed there now._

_Good luck Shepard. You owe me twice now._

_~Aria_

Shepard's mind went blank for a moment with white hot rage. The idea of someone killing his sister enraged him more than he thought it ever could. He quickly jumped up, feeling new energy flowing through his limbs, and pulled off his bodysuit and quickly threw on his civvies.

Jumping into the elevator, Shepard pressed the button for the CIC floor. His foot nervously tapped the floor as he tried to keep his calm. As soon as the elevator opened he rushed to the Galaxy Map. He quickly plotted the new destination. "EDI, I need you to tell everyone to gather in the Comm room for a meeting in twenty minutes," Shepard said quickly. Yeoman Chambers looked at him sideways from her post. "And please tell Joker to head to Mindoir on the double."

"Is there something wrong Shepard?" Miss. Chambers asked as she neared the stand.

Shepard looked at the pretty red head. He wasn't sure what to say, but he knew that she would find out, hell his whole team was about to find out if they didn't already. "I just found out my sister is on Mindoir and she is in a lot of trouble," he said with a chuckle as he rubbed some of the tension out of his neck. "So we are going to head there and try to find her. She'll be an asset to us anyways."

"Oh, your file says you have a sister, but it says nothing else about her," she said flicking her monitor on.

"No, it wouldn't. I never mention her, and that's the way she likes it. But I'm bring her in on this," Shepard said as he walked toward the Comm Room. "Whether she likes it or not."

Kelly watched as Shepard walk away before she turned to her console and started tapping at the keys again.

* * *

Garrus exited the elevator and made his way to the Main Battery. Nodding to the several people, who for the most part smiled back, many of them forced but at least they tried.

His Omni-tool beeped at him indicating that he had messages waiting for him. He had turned it off earlier when it wouldn't stop beeping. _I wonder what could be so important…._

Flipping open his Omni-tool he started to go through the messages and saw what was waiting for him.

_Files from C-Sec._

Garrus wondered for a moment if he should open them without Shepard, but his curiosity got the best of him. He quickly opened the message, feeling like a little kid that might get caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

What he found was rather intriguing: a rap sheet. However, the documents that were attached were rather short. Knowing C-Sec protocol, Garrus knew that there should have been more, but there was nothing. _She's been arrested, is that really surprising considering she's a Shepard. But I wonder why it's so short. _Garrus chuckled to himself as he pondered the thought, but quickly decided that he should just take a look for himself.

_**Written by:**__ Detective Chellick_

_**Case Number: **__7845-63484269_

_**Date:**__ March 12 2174_

_**Species: **__Human_

_**Name:**__ Primrose Shepard_

_**Born:**__ April 11 2154_

_**Age:**__ 20_

_**Height:**__ 170.18 cm_

_**Weight:**__ 56.699 kgs_

_**Hair Color:**__ Blonde_

_**Eye Color:**__ Blue/Green_

_**Descriptive markings (Visible):**__ Scar on bottom left cheek that goes down toward neck. Black tattoo inside right forearm; circular in shape with various symbols, meaning unknown. Multiple piercings on left ear, right ear limited to only a few at lobe and top of ear. Left side of nostril pierced._

Garrus continued reading on, but he soon realized that his was no normal file. It quickly started to turn into something else, something more like a physic evaluation than a police report.

_**Descriptive markings (Non-visible):**__ Various scars on back and abdomen that indicate that she has been whipped or slashed several times throughout the years. Black shadow tattoo of a dead tree on here left rib cage down to her hip, meaning unknown. Various other piercings; including six small silver studs, three on top of her navel, three on the bottom; the others are in more 'hidden' places._

_**Behavior:**__ Quite. Sits for hours meditating/watching everyone that comes near. Slow breathing and heartbeat. She is in a constant state of calm. She barely speaks, giving away no anger or annoyance. She seems to be waiting for something, or someone. _

Garrus' eyes fell down to some personal notes that were written below.

_Strange behavior for a human. So many other humans are quick to say they are innocent, or that they need to be set free. But just sits there in silence. At times I feel someone staring at me, and when I look up I can see her. Her eyes burning, but not from anger, from something else. She is an amazing strong willed woman, for a human. _

_**Arrested for:**__ She was brought in as a suspect in several thefts and first-degree murder. However, there is lacking evidence. Her release will be processed within the hour. _

Garrus rubbed his brow plate as he read on about how many credits she supposedly stole, who some of her supposed victims were. None of them would testify, which did not surprise Chellick in the least. _Either she has someone powerful behind her or she has something on them that they don't want anyone to know. _Chellick wrote in the margin.

_I wonder who these people were she stole from or killed. Shepard said she always wanted to help people not kill them. I don't understand these murder charges. _Garrus rubbed his browplate. He didn't know what to think about this. He wanted to believe Shepard, to think that his sister only did things for the good, but these charges said something different.

_Garrus stop thinking about this. You can't judge her until you meet her. You've seen too much to be judgmental. _Garrus' thoughts went to a dark place for a moment. He thought about his team on Omega, and how he felt it was his fault that they died. _Their lives were in your hands and you let them die! _His mandibles held tight to his face as he worked to control his breathing. He hated this feeling, this miserable feeling of failure. He wondered to himself for a moment if there was ever going to be a time that he wouldn't feel this gut-wrenching feeling.

He rubbed his browplate before he continued scanning the rest of the report and found nothing extraordinary, except it seemed that maybe Chellick was studying her rather than processing or arresting her. _He keeps saying that she's so interesting for a human, 'she shows great restrain for a lesser species', he says often. 'She eyes me carefully as I pull her blades from their sheaths. A small smirk touches not only her lips but her eyes and she gives me an odd sensation in the pit of my stomach. For a moment I feel as if she is going to bite me, maybe try to dominate me. The thought alone makes me want to get her out of here, because right now I don't know how I want to respond to her. My body says one thing and my head says another.'_

Garrus couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Chellick being so intimated by this woman, but he also was very intrigued by her. _This woman must be rather intimidating to have this type of an effect on Chellick. I've known that man my entire C-Sec career and I have never heard him this…uneasy before. _

Garrus took a deep breath and continued to scrolled down to the bottom and saw the picture they had attached to the file. It was obvious that the picture was Shepard's sister. Garrus could see the family resemblance in an instant, but there was more to her that that. Looking at the picture he could see the fire behind her eyes that Chellick had mentioned. They were quite interesting in color. The same shade of blue as Shepard's; expect hers had flecks of green that almost made them look turquoise. The scar on her left cheek left a light pink mark on her pale white skin. _She's pretty, for a human._

He had to admit that the look she was giving was very primal in nature and he wondered if she was doing that on purpose. _Humans usually do not display such behavior, even when pushed or threatened. _Garrus mused over the idea of a human being able to stand up and overpower a Turian, than he realized that is exactly what Shepard does. _There have been times when I was glad I wasn't on the receiving end of one of Shepard's many 'talks'. He never had to raise his voice, because it's when he's quite that you want to worry…_

"Officer Vakarian, you are needed for a meeting in the Comm Room in twenty minutes," EDI's smooth voice said as she broke through his thoughts.

Garrus scrambled with his Omni-tool for a moment. He was still not used to the AI, but he was finding her to be rather useful at times. "Ah, thank you EDI. I'll be there shortly," he replied quickly as he turned to reach for the door. _I suppose I should tell Shepard what I have found. He may be interested in the document._

* * *

The Illusive Man, or otherwise known as TIM by friends (if he had any), sat in his chair that looked through his large viewing window that spread across the entire wall of his inner sanctum. The red giant-class M star dominated much of the view, but not suffocating the stars behind and around it out. Everything about what that star is was why TIM enjoyed this view.

The star was nearing the end of its six billion year life span and would soon become something wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. Upon its end it will collapse on itself and become a black hole. Sucking up everything in this system, forever changing the galaxy and what lay within. Nothing would be able to survive its over-whelming need to devour its own young.

This was everything he loved and feared about the galaxy: beauty, destruction and glory. Life could spring up anywhere, and be taken away just as quickly. Nothing would survive that cosmic eye blink of destruction.

TIM looked over his many reports, but didn't read a thing. His mind was still back with Miranda and the conversation they just had. He wondered if he was slowly starting to lose her, but quickly pushed that out of his mind. _There is no way I could lose one of my best operatives, not to Shepard and his aliens!_

TIM pounded his fist on the desk, the stacked datapads shifted ever so slightly from the force. His blue eyes focused in and out for a moment before he light another cigarette to calm his nerves. He inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs as he flexed the fingers.

Picking up a datapad, TIM heard the familiar ping of a new message on his Omni-tool. He sighed as he placed the datapad back on the desk. He lazily flipped it open as he shifted himself in his seat to make himself appear taller. He was surprised when he was greeted with a message from Miss. Kelly Chambers.

_Illusive Man:_

_Shepard has found information on his sister and we are headed there now. It seems that we will be going to Mindoir. I am sending this to you because you have asked me to keep an eye out in case he ends up finding her._

_Is there anything I should know about her before she boards the Normandy?_

_~Yeoman Kelly Chambers_

TIM exhaled as he finished reading Miss. Chambers message. _Well, it seems that Miranda will be showing us her loyalty to us sooner than she planned. _He smirked at the thought of pushing Miranda to her limits. He knew that she was talented, everyone knew that, but he enjoyed it anyways.

He rose from his chair and made his way to the small bar that rested on the other end of his ominous office. TIM pulled the top off the clear glass bottom that was filled with a smoky amber liquid. Its contents swishing from side to side as he poured the liquid from the bottle to the short circular glass, instantly chilling as it hit the cubes of ice that rested at the bottom.

A smirk crossed his lips as the lip of the glass touched his, and he inhaled deeply at the smoky aroma. He let his mind wander for a moment to the future and what he hoped to accomplish. _Shepard's recovering and resurrection was a total success. However, if he can be brought to our side his usefulness could last longer than just destroying the Collectors. _

TIM started his walk back to his desk with his glass of whisky and newly lite cigarette in hand. His smirk continued as he thought about all the possibilities of having Shepard on his side. _What he could accomplish, the things he could do for us be endless! He is the future of humanity, if only he could see the potential in making this alliance more permanent. _

TIM flexed his fingers around his glass as he inhaled from his cigarette. _All this is on your Miranda. You are the only one that can bring Shepard to us. Make me proud._ Sitting back in his chair, TIM looked passed his monitors to his red dwarf star and smiled with intertwined fingers. _Yes, there are far bigger things in this galaxy and I plan on making sure humanity is in the forefront._

* * *

"EDI I need you to find anything on my sister from the past six months," Shepard said as he entered the comm room.

"Anything specific Commander?" EDI's smooth voice said almost in a reassuring manner.

Shepard rubbed his neck. "Look for her nick name Birdy. It's unlikely that she would sure her real or full name. Also, let's check out any crimes that sound like she's behind them. Maybe that'll give un an idea of who we're after," he said as he leaned against the table.

"Understood Commander," she replied.

Shepard went back to rubbing his neck, the tension ever increasing. _So close, but everything has to be so difficult with her! All I wanted was to tell her I'm still alive and get her help on this mission, but noooo, now I have to find her and get her off Mindoir in one piece. She always has to do things the hard way…_

_Swish-_

Shepard's internal thoughts were broken by the sight of his Turian friend in the doorway.

"Oh, sorry, am I disturbing you Shepard?" Garrus asked before entering the Comm room.

Shepard straightened his back before responding to his friend. "No, no not at all," he said as he waved his hand for him to enter.

Garrus stepped into the small room, the sound of his metal boots clinking as he stepped forward. "Is everything okay Shepard?" he asked as he studied his friend's face.

Shepard raised his eyebrows trying to relax his face in the process. "Yeah…No, that's a lie," he confessed. "Got a message from Aria saying she's heard that one of my sisters 'victims' has figured out where she's been hiding and has sent every merc and apparent assassin on her."

"That doesn't sound good," Garrus said as he rubbed his neck.

Shepard rubbed his eyes as he nodded his head in agreement. "So this looks like it's going to be a lot more complicated than just finding her and convincing her to join us," he shook his head before continuing. "It's never easy with her. Never has been and it never will be."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Garrus said trying to lighten the mood, his mandibles clicking lightly. "Like I said before, she's a Shepard, there's no way she'll be taken down easily."

Shepard smiled as he clasped his friend on the shoulder. "Thanks Garrus. I know that she'll stick it out till we get there."

Garrus smiled his mandibles wide. The two friends stayed in silence for a moment before Garrus decided that this was as good a time as any to show Shepard the C-Sec report he was sent earlier. "There's something I want to show you," he said as he flipped open his Omni-tool. "I was sent an arrest record from ten years ago. Before I was ever off Palaven. It's your sister. Apparently she was arrested in connection to several crimes on the Citadel, never convicted though." Garrus said as he sent the message to Shepard's Omni-tool.

Shepard took a moment to go over the file and Garrus watched as a smirk crossed his friend's face. A moment later a small chuckle erupted from Shepard as he closed his Omni-tool. "That sounds just like her. This was right before we turned 21," he said with a faraway look in his eyes. "Sounds to me she was trying to read the Detective. Turian's are tough to read, but if anyone has figured it out she has."

Garrus' browplate rose in shock. "Trying to read Turians, why?" he asked, curiosity heavy in his voice.

Shepard chuckled as he scratched his head. "Yeah, she was always the 'reader'," he said as he leaned on the table. "She could always tell if someone was lying or frankly an easy mark. It was her special street rat ability."

Garrus eyed his friend for a moment not understanding what he meant. "It's an orphan thing. We all learn some way to coup or overcome it. Physically I became tall and pretty strong. Also people like me no matter what, I make friends quicker than anyone else I know and they always want to follow me to hell and back," Shepard said before taking a breath to continue. "Now, my sister is kind of the opposite of me. She's small and quick, likes fighting hand-to-hand combat with swords and blades. Also people have a hard time liking her because she is always pushing people over the edge. She can spot a liar in just a few questions and make them confess. That's kinda what she was doing with that Turian detective. Pushing him to get different reactions out of him," he said with a chuckle. "That is my sister's MO."

Garrus mused over what Shepard had said. He couldn't help but smile. _Of course she's playing him. Her behavior seems too erratic to be normal. She was studying him just as he was studying him. Very good, very very good…_

"Very interesting. I have to admit that I know very little about Earth and what it's like to grow up there," Garrus confessed. "I've only heard rumors and they don't seem very…pleasant."

Shepard laughed. "It's life," he stated, looking every far away. "It was our life."

Garrus thought about what Shepard was saying. He wanted to ask more questions, but thought against it. _This is not the time to quench my curiosity. Another time, _he thought to himself.

Shepard's mind drifted off to the times with his sister when they were kids. She was always the talent. I would always have the plan and the people. She'd find the marks get them to say what they never meant to say and distract them from what was really going on. _We were always an amazing team. Nothing could get between us, we were unstoppable. Until the day she put her foot down and walked away forever._


	7. Finding a Rose

_**A/N:**__ Thank you everyone for continuing to read my story. Sorry for the delay in this update, I couldn't figure out where to start, haha. So I really hope you enjoy this chapter, this one is pretty important to the story. _

_Also wanted to thank those who have been following and the new followers: , skyoria, ShepardisaBOSS, babybear1994,ironcrosslegion and Shadowed Replica. And to , ultimate idiot, ShepardisaBOSS, babybear1994, and ironcrosslegion for all faving this story, and for commenting. Comments are always appreciated and wanted!_

_I also wanted to let you know that I have started another ME series that kinda coincides with this story call __**'Garrus' Unsent Letters'**__. They are all written in Garrus' POV and very short insightful thoughts he has about his friends and family._

_Thank you again for reading my story and please comment! Sorry for being so long winded in my intro this time, I won't make a habit out of this._

* * *

"Is there something wrong Commander?" Miranda asked as she entered the comm room. Everyone was standing around the table, looking at a rotating planet. Upon further inspection she noticed it was Mirdoir, one of the human colonies. "Did another colony get attacked?" she asked with a ting of worry in her voice.

Shepard shook his head before he answered. "No, nothing like that. I just got word that my sister is somewhere on this planet, and I intend to find her," he said with determination in his voice. "Zaeed I heard that they hired some mercs and assassins to track her down. Do you think you can find out who we might be dealing with?"

"I might be able to make a few calls, but I promise nothing," he said with a nod of his head. Shepard nodded his thanks. "What's she known as?"

"Birdy is probably the only name she goes by these days," Shepard said trying to rub the tension out of his neck. "Other than that I wouldn't know."

"I will contact STG. Maybe they know something," Mordin muttered as he started typing away at his Omni-tool.

"Thanks Mordin. Do you think that they know anything?"

Mordin nodded. "STG has information on many people."

Shepard mused over that thought of a moment and wondered what they file on him looked like…._Probably don't want to know._

"Cerberus' file is thin on her," Jacob said as he threw down a datapad.

"She is a hard woman to find," Miranda chimed in. "Most everything there in that file is accusations, nothing solid."

Shepard picked up the datapad that Jacob had thrown on the table. "So you mean to tell me that Cerberus had a file on her and you didn't tell me Miranda?"

Miranda met Shepard's intense gaze with her own. "Cerberus, like the STG, has files on everyone of interest," she said as she leaned into her hip.

"What do you mean 'of interest'?" Shepard said as he folded his arms over his chest.

Miranda signed heavily. "Years ago Cerberus looked into finding her, but they didn't get very far. She's very good at hiding herself."

"Why would Cerberus want my sister?" Anger was hinted in Shepard's voice as he tried to stay calm. He didn't like the idea of his sister being tracked down by Cerberus and their goons.

Miranda smiled wickedly for a moment. "For the same reasons you want her on this mission. She's good at what she does," she said as she matched Shepard's posture. "But the more we hounded her the more she ran from us. Besides she doesn't see races, just the just and unjust."

Shepard shook his head. "What does Cerberus know now?" his anger growing by the second.

"Nothing. After your death she went to Omega and fell of the grid for good."

Shepard looked from Miranda to Jacob. It was obvious to him that Jacob knew nothing about this, and that didn't surprise him in the least. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" his anger started to dissipate ever so slightly by the question.

Miranda unfolded her arms as she glanced to Jacob for a moment before turning her gaze back to Shepard. "It wasn't relevant," she simply said.

"I'll be the judge of what is relevant of not," Shepard said with his anger back in full force.

"Understood sir," Miranda said as she stood up straighter.

Shepard rolled his neck as he closed his eyes. "Joker, how long till we're at Mindoir?"

"_We'll be there in about four hours Commander."_

Shepard nodded. "Okay, I know that we just got off a hard mission, but this needs to happen now," he said as he looked at his crew, as he tried to mask his anger. "I have a feeling that this isn't going to be an easy drop in and snatch so everyone's going to need to rest up. We'll get together again before we head to the shuttle. Everyone's dismissed."

Shepard watched as everyone walked out of the Comm room, the only person to stay behind was Mordin. "Here are EDI and I findings on the tank-grown Krogan," he said barely looking up from his Omni-tool. "Very interesting data. Everything looks sound. Structure should hold well until opened. Warning now, very dangerous. Would not open if I were you."

Shepard nodded as he took the datapad. "Thank you Mordin."

Mordin smiled and blinked his large eyes before he swiftly turned and walked out of the small room. Shepard was then left alone with his thoughts and two datapads.

* * *

"So it looks like whoever hired these mercs is really pissed off at your little sister," Zaeed said with a smirk as he dodged a spray of bullets.

"Yeah, you're not kidding!" Shepard agreed.

"What the hell did she do to get so many people to go after her?" Garrus questioned as he sniped a Krogan of the balcony of a nearby two-story house.

"Gee Archangel I wouldn't have a clue," Shepard said jokingly as he took out a wounded merc with his assault rifle.

Shepard and team had only just landed on Mindoir when they started getting hit. Zaeed and Mordin's intel was limited, but it gave them a good idea of what was waiting for them….hell, hell on Mindoir was waiting for them.

The area they had tracked Shepard's sister to was an old abandoned town from the Batarian raids roughly fifteen years ago. The Cerberus files on the place were vague, but they basically stated that it was a trading place for the local farmers. No more than a few thousand people actually lived within the city itself, most lived on the out skirts. Even to this day, with the town abandoned as it was, the surrounding area was populated with farm lands.

"Shepard, I believe that your sister is in a building on the far side of this town," EDI's voice sang over the comm. "There are many mercs headed in that direction now. I would advise to approach the area with caution."

"Thank you EDI," Shepard said quickly while he motioned for everyone to listen to him. "Okay, we're going to do this in two teams. Garrus, Mordin you're with me. Zaeed, Jacob fallow Miranda. Miranda I want you to wait five minutes before following us. I need you and your team to keep the heat off our backs."

"Shepard wouldn't it be smart to take a biotic with you?" Jacob asked before Miranda could agree.

Shepard chuckled while he looked though his scope. "Yeah, maybe," he said with a shrug. "But both you and Miranda are Cerberus, and if what you told me is true than she'll kill you on the spot, no questions asked."

Jacob glanced at Miranda looking for some sort of response, but all he was greeted with was her stoic face. Jacob was now thinking twice about bring this woman aboard the Normandy.

"Okay, Garrus, Mordin, let's move out!" Shepard exclaimed with a smile. "Good luck Miranda."

"We won't let you down Shepard," she responded as she replaced her heat sink in her pistol.

* * *

Sweat dripped down the sides of Primrose's face, making her long blond curls stick to her forehead and jawline as well as along her neckline and collarbone, as she counted her weapon stock. She placed her two katanas securely on her back, her heavy pistol on her right thigh while her submachine gun rested on her right hip. A set of daggers rested in their sheaths in her left thigh high buckled leather boots, along with several throwing knives.

She had found herself a basement to hide in for the moment, but she knew that she couldn't hide there for much longer. But for the moment it would have to do. She needed time to repair her torn leather armor and wounded flesh before it became infected, and unfortunately Medi-gel only went so far.

Rose leaned against wall as she fell to the floor. She didn't know how much longer she could keep up this pace, but she knew she had no other choice. It had been a very long couple of days without sleep or rest and the little bit of water she had was now gone. She was trained well in survival, but this was pushing her own capabilities and she knew she was going to be at her end soon.

She smeared the cool blue gel over her bleeding wounds on her arms and legs. Rose had to admit to herself that she had done quite well at avoiding any kill shots. "As many bullets that there were I am surprised that none of them got a better shot at me," she said to her own shadow. These days of running with no food and little water were making her delirious.

As the cool blue gel knit together the small cuts and lacerations, Rose closed her eyes and thought back to another time. She remembered all the times that Dom and herself would get into trouble. When they were young it was simple: sneaking out and stealing this and that, but as they got older their problems got more difficult.

Rose laughed quietly to herself with little humor. _I wish you were here Dom. I suppose if there is an afterlife I'll be seeing you there soon, but not before I kill as many of these sons-of-bitches as I can!_

Finding her fourth wind, Rose stood up with new vigor in her veins as she made sure her weapons were secure one last time before she left her hideout. The basement was in an old abandoned office building, something of a common sight in these parts.

Rose made her way up the stairs quietly. It didn't take her long before she found a Salarian and Asari, both clutching katanas in their hands. This wasn't an unknown sight these days. Many of the old clans have found that the alien races not only to be efficient with a sword, but also willing to learn the old ways. Her old clan was now being led by an Asari, by which many people were not happy, but it mattered little to her now.

Rose circled around till she was behind the two assassins. She drew one of her katanas; the sound of doing so alerted them to her presence.

"Well, well, well look what we have here Charn," the Asari said as she turned around and leaned into her hip.

The male Salarian laughed wickedly as his eyes narrowed to slits. "Looks like we didn't have to go looking very far to find her did we?" he said as he pulled his own blade out of its sheath. "So Birdy, how have you been?"

Rose flexed her fingers over her handle of her katana as she took a defensive stance. "Ah, Charn, Delia it's been too long my old friends."

The Salarian, Asari and human stared at each other for a moment, the two sizing the third up. Rose smiled as the Salarian made the first move. Charn had always been inpatient, she didn't know if it was because of his short lifespan or just his nature, but she was going to use it against him.

Salarians and Asari were naturally weaker and slower than humans, but they made up for their short comings by being highly skilled both with sword and their biotics. However, no matter their skill, Rose knew that she had more raw talent and experience than they did.

A smirk crossed Roses lips as Charn bounced off the wall and leapt into the air, his blade glinting in the light. A quick move with her blade soon had it covered with green blood and Charn stumbling away holding his gut as his innards spilled out.

Delia snarled as she watched her longtime companion fall to his knees, his intestines in his hands. "You will pay for killing Charn!" she exclaimed, venom dripping from every word.

"Make me bitch!" Rose uttered no louder than a snarl.

Delia ran toward Rose, her roar echoing down the hall. Rose repositioned herself, readying herself for the attack, Charn's green blood dripping of the end of her gleaming blade.

Their two blades sang as they connected, their bodies danced as one tried to avoid the other. Their weapons moved in tight, quick movements their faces only a few inches away from each other. They battled each other in silence, only the song between their metal and muffled footsteps telling their tale. Neither of their blades stayed clean for long.

"Why did you have to turn your back on the clans?" Delia asked hatred tainting every word. "We would have given you everything! Anything you wanted."

Rose swiped her blade toward Delia, forcing her to duck the attack. "But NOOOO, you couldn't play your part," Delia continued. "You had to go noble and start caring what happens to those people. We could have been wealthy rich!"

Delia kicked and slashed at Rose as she swiped Delia across the waist, one blade dripping in purple blood the other dripping in red.

Rose spun around clenching her side, dark red seeped through her gloved fingers. However bad of shape Rose was in it was apparent that Delia was worse. She leaned against the wall clenching the same area Charn was right before he died. "Someone will take you down, Little Bird," she spat with blood covered teeth and bubbles at her lips.

"The clans were wrong Delia." Rose tried to reason with the dying Asari, but she knew there was no hope.

Rose took a step toward the woman, favoring her left leg, and felt pity for the woman that lay dying on the floor. "You should have listened to me. I told you, I told all of you to turn back and forget about me," she said as she clenched her katana. "I just wanted people to do what is right."

The Asari woman coughed up more blood as her head lobbed to the side and her eyes rolled back into her head. Rose closed her eyes and wondered for a moment if she should say a prayer. She wasn't sure if Delia or Charn believed in what the clans do, and to be honest Rose wasn't too sure what she believed either. However, that didn't stop her from trying to find some sort of peace, both for herself and for the ones she kills.

Rose continued down the hall, eager to find a way to leave this deserted office building. She rounded the last corner and found herself facing the stairs that would hopefully lead her to the first floor. She ran on her tippy-toes, still checking behind her and still being cautious.

Anyone who has seen as many fights as Rose has she knew that opening that door, well any door really, was always a risk. However, the reward was outweighing the risk and that was all she needed. Cracking open the door, she craned her head out to sneak a peek and soon she was sneaking her body out of the door.

Moments later she heard the familiar sounds of gunfire in the distance. Rose smirked to herself as she slid along the wall to a door that appeared to exit to an alleyway. She enjoyed knowing that her enemies were too busy with each other than actually finding and fighting her.

Rose paused before she opened the door and opened her Omni-tool to check the various cameras she had scattered all over the complex. Clicking through the different cameras she spotted the various merc groups and assassins that were in different areas of the small town. _Blue Suns, typical, they are some of the easiest bought merc groups around. Freelance and Eclipse as well. They too were typical, found everywhere and easily bought either with credits or enough products. _

The clans however were not exactly what she had expected when she found out that people were coming after her. Sure she probably should have, but she's human and a part of her hoped that her '_legend_' and the fear she had built up around herself would have protected her from them. _Seems like I under esteemed them and their need to have me killed. A pity they have to break the old laws, hell for that matter that they break any laws at all. I wouldn't have to hunt them down and exterminate them would I? _she asked herself with a smirk that didn't reach her eyes.

Rose flipped through the rest of the cameras, spotting a couple more clan members and a trio she could not place, not until she looked at two of their uniforms logo. "_Cerberus," s_he said through gritted teeth. The female and the dark skinned man both wore Cerberus logos on their uniforms, while the third man did not. He appeared to be a common merc, someone that she wasn't familiar with, but that meant little. She knew plenty of mercs, but only by name, not face.

She signed heavily as she clenched her jaw and fist. She couldn't believe that they, out of everyone else in this blighted galaxy, had followed the information to find her.

Rose closed her eyes as she took another deep breath; there was one more camera she needed to look at. Calming her nerves, she pushed the button to flip the image on her Omni-tool. She was then greeted with an odd image. A human, a turian and a salarian all carrying different weapons were heading in her direction from the north. She paused for a moment; something in the image of the three fighters reminded her of people she knew. However, it wasn't until the human looked toward the camera that it all hit home. _Dom… my brother. Is that really him? _She held her breath as she watched the all too familiar man in the vid move from cover to cover. And it wasn't until she saw the familiar cobalt blue tribal markings on the bandaged turian that she believed that he could be. _Archangel- Garrus Vakarian. You knew my brother before the accident, you served with him. He called you his brother, if this man is my brother you would know better than anyone, but me. _

Breath started to fill Rose's lungs again as she hope filled her heart and soul. She couldn't believe that he was still alive, that he drew breath. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, and took a deep breath before she face the door and opened it.

She winced as she slid out the door and leaned against the outer wall, her hand shooting up to her left side. Her wound was still bleeding profusely and she had no more Medi-gel to help stop it. She cursed herself for being in this situation. She knew that people were coming after her and the only thing she cared about was making sure the mercs and assassins stayed away from the populated areas, rather than equipping herself better. _Hell, I'm still alive and if I can make my way to Dom than I should be okay. _

Rose smiled as she picked up her pace to a near full jog as she continued to hold her side. The gunfire picked back up again and she knew that Dom, Archangel and their salarian friend were there, spilling their bullets into their enemy's chest.

Jogging along the alleyways, crisscrossing through building and taking out the various stragglers that were in her path, Rose made her way to Dom and his companions as quickly as she could. The sound of gunfire ended as she neared the last set of stairs that remained in her path. She still could not see her brother and his companions, but she knew they were close. As she neared the top of the stairs she was not greeted by the sight of her long dead brother, no, instead she found the one man she had no desire to see: Sicarius Pillidis, a male turian with phenomenal hand-to-hand combat skills.

Turians have always been pretty evenly matched with human, if they are propionate, when it came to strength, agility, and speed. Where their strength lied was in their discipline. However, this meant little to Rose, because this turian, Sicarius Pillidis, and many others were far stronger that she was and she knew it. Her much smaller frame being both a hindrance and an advantage with people built like him.

"Well, well, well look at what we have here boys. Seems like you have become wounded my Little Bird," Sicarius thrilled loudly with delight as his mandibles fluttering. His eyes shined as he turned from what he was once looking at.

Rose paused right before the wall broke that would have given her a view of what he had been looking at, but she didn't care. The only thing she could see was the man that stood in front of her. She pulled her katana from its sheath and gripped the handle tightly as she took one more hobbled step toward the sunlight.

* * *

Shepard and his companions made their way south through buildings and alleyways. There were various groups of mercs and a few assassins that came in their view. Building after building they were fired upon. They would hide behind half-walls and staircases to shield themselves from the barrage of bullets.

"Miranda how is everything on your end?" Shepard asked through the comm when they had found themselves a brief moment of silence.

"Everything is okay here Commander," her voice chimed over the comm. "We have remained several paces behind you to keep your six clear."

"Thank you Miranda," Shepard said with a nod. He motioned to Garrus and Mordin to follow and they continued south.

It wasn't much longer till they found themselves in a courtyard of some sort. As the three of them advanced with their weapons drawn, they heard the familiar sounds and strides of an armored turian walking in their direction. They readied themselves as he came into view.

"You must be the great Commander Shepard," the male turian said clicking his mandibles.

"You know who I am?" Shepard asked, his gun pointing right at turian's chest.

The turian chuckled with little humor behind it. "Of course I know who you are," he said with a bow of his head. "But I have been rude, my name is Sicarius Pillidis. I was a former… well, let's just say a former _friend_ of your sister's."

Shepard tightened his grip on his assault rifle. He could hear a growl emerging from his turian friend beside him and murmurs coming from his new salarian friend. "Where is my sister?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The turian laughed again. "That seems to be the question on everyone's mind here," he said with a wave of his hand.

A moment later Sicarius turned his head down a nearby staircase. Shepard watched as recognition broke through the older turian's mask of indifference. "Well, well, well look at what we have here boys," Sicarius said as he turned his body to the staircase, completely ignoring Shepard and his companions. "Looks like you have become wounded my Little Bird."

Shock hit Shepard as he realized who Sicarius was talking too, but he hesitated to approach further, even though every fiber in his body wanted him too.

A moment later Garrus watched, along with Shepard and Mordin, as a woman covered in asari, salarian, turian and human blood limped toward Sicarius. He watched as his friend struggled to not scream out at his sister, as he struggled to keep his calm at the sight of her bloodied and beaten. Garrus had to admit that the sight of her was very overwhelming.

Rose limped toward Sicarius with her katana gripped tightly in her hand. A smirk crossed her lips as she stared up at the older turian, his mandibles fluttered into his own smirk in response.

The turian's 7 foot stature towered over Rose like a mountain bloating out the sun. Silence hung in the air like an atomic bomb waiting to be released. Everyone paused, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"Birdy," Shepard said just above a whisper. Her eyes shifted from the turian to him, and her smirk softened and her eyes shined with unshed tears.

Shepard took a step forward, followed by his comrades, and they watched as Rose twirled around with her katana in hand. Sicarius moved to the side to avoid Rose and her blade as he pulled out his assault rifle.

However, he didn't move fast enough. Sircarius roared as he felt her blade slide between metal plates of his armor, slicing his right side from his hip to mid abdomen. Turians had few 'soft spots', but she knew every one of them, especially on him.

Sircarius gripped his rifle and pulled the trigger, spraying bullets at Shepard and his comrades as well as into Rose's right side. He fell against the wall opposite of Rose and watched as she stumbled backwards from the force of being shot.

Garrus watched as Shepard moved in-between his sister and the turian. He only hesitated for a moment before he pulled the trigger, blue blood straying across the wall.

Mordin rushed passed both Shepard and Garrus so that he could assist Shepard's sister. She was leaning against several abandoned crates as she checked her right side for bullets wounds.

"Many cuts and gashes. Favoring left leg. Two bullet wounds in right shoulder," Mordin muttered to himself as he scanned the woman in front of him.

"You know usually I make a guy take me out to dinner before he's allowed to scan me for various injuries," Rose muttered with a smirk. Mordin smiled as he pushed several buttons on his Omni-tool and started to administer the Medi-gel to her various wounds.

Shepard turned around to look at his sister while Mordin worked on her wounds. She looked at him, her eyes big and blue, shining with too many emotions. "Is that really you Dom?" she asked, barely a whisper.

Shepard stepped forward as he placed his rifle on his back. "Yeah, more or less from what I can tell," he responded back to her. They smiled at each other for a moment. "Mordin, Garrus I want you to meet my sister: Primrose, or Rose, or Birdy."

Rose laughed. "Argh! Shit, I can feel my skin splitting when I laugh," she said as she gripped her side.

"Yeah, you look like shit Birdy," Shepard teased, placing a hand on her unwounded shoulder.

"And you look pretty good for a dead guy," she retorted back with a smirk.

Garrus chuckled along with Shepard. Mordin muttered under his breath as he applied the last bit of Medi-gel.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Shepard responded with a smile. He turned his back and walked toward Garrus. He clicked his Omni-tool to Miranda's frequency. "Miranda, we found her. Meet us at the pick-up."

"Miranda?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow.

Shepard nodded as turned back to his sister. "Another ground team I have out here."

Rose groaned as realization struck her. "The two Cerberus agents and the tattooed merc. There with you." It wasn't a question; she knew they were working together. "What the hell are you doing working for those bastards?" That was a question.

Shepard watched as his sister circled around till her back was facing south. He knew what she was doing, he'd seen it before, she was going to bolt the first chance she got. However far her injuries would get her and he knew not very far. The professor had done what he could out here on the field, but they all knew that she needed a more treatment than the Medi-gel could give.

"Yeah, they're the ones me back together after I had died," he tried to explain, but he could see it mattered little to Rose. "I'm not working with them. They gave me my life, a ship, and a crew and were taking out the Collectors." Shepard finished.

"Bullshit!" she said through gritted teeth. "How can you forgive a company like that?"

Shepard stepped closer, while Rose stepped further. "I haven't, and I don't believe I ever could, but this is bigger than my issues with them," he confessed. Shepard took another step toward his sister. He noticed her leather armor was torn from bullet holes and blade slashes. Blue, purple, orange, green and red blood was in her hair, on her face and staining her armor.

He took another step toward his sister. "I need you with me Birdy," he whispered loud enough for only Rose to hear and Garrus because of his excellent hearing.

Rose looked up to her brother and nodded her head. He was back, and she had too many questions that needed answering to leave him now.

_Besides, he has to have a good reason for siding with Cerberus, right? _Rose pondered that thought for a moment-she needed to know what was going on.

She also knew that she couldn't get off this planet without his help, and she needed to get off planet and get medical help.

Rose smiled weakly and nodded her head. "Let's get out of here and talk more," she said as she threw an arm around Shepard's shoulder. "But if I don't like what I hear I'm getting off your ship," she warned with a single finger in his face.

Shepard chuckled. "Understood."

What that being said, the trio plus Rose made their way to the pick-up zone. Garrus walked behind Shepard and his sister, while Mordin took the lead. He watched the two humans as they walked. _They seem so close. It will be interesting to get to know her and know how Shepard is around her. He seems very protective, something I can relate too. _Garrus thought back to the many moments he had embarrassed his sister because he was looking out for her. He missed his sister and made a mental note to write her a message. Whether he would send it or not he didn't know yet.


	8. Making Her Stay

_**A/N:**__ I wanted to thank everyone for reading my ME story, this means so much to me! I wanted to thank DawnStar24, for the faves the silver Ebon Hawke. ZachN17 and Coren24 for following, and of course everyone else as well! You guys encourage me to continue writing this story. _

_Please let me know what you think of Shepard's sister so far. I've worked hard on creating her and making her believable. I hope that she lives up to what I want her to be._

_Thanks again for everything! And don't forget to check out my spin off 'Garrus' Unwritten Letters', you can find it on my profile._

* * *

_**21 Years ago:**_

Two small figures ran from shadow to shadow in the dead of night, hiding from the moon and the alley cats. The night air around them was crisp and cool; it showed the early signs of the winter coming.

The little boy and little girl hid behind the forgotten crates of last weeks delivered products, not wanting to be seen by the people that passed by. Their little bodies huddled close together for warmth as they waited for the people to pass by without noticing them.

Their blue eyes shining big under the orange glow of the streetlights as their blond curls stuck slick to their dirty little faces. Their eyes darted from side to side before they made their move.

They were seeking shelter from the elements, knowing that they couldn't survive in the alley. For a moment the little boy wondered if they had made the right choice by leaving the foster home they were at before, but when he looked to his sister he knew that they had made the right choice.

Living there was hell for everyone, but it was worse for the girls. Their Foster Mother was oblivious to the horrible things their Foster Father did. Whether it was because she truly did not know or she turned a blind eye he did not know and did not care.

The boy smiled as he thought about how it felt to hurt the man that had hurt his sister. He and his sister had made a plan that day that he would be the one in her bed when the fowl smelling man came looking for her. The blonde haired boy gripped the hilt of the little knife he had concealed under the blanket with him, ready to strike when the covers were pulled back.

The boy took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and once the covers were drawn he struck like viper hiding in the bushes. The man yelped as the thin blade pierced his side and the young boy took his chance to escape before the man regained his senses.

The little boy ran down the hall just as his sister ran out of the other room. The two made their way to the front door only to be stopped to a gun shot over head, but that did not stop them. Thinking quickly the little girl ran to the nearest window and opened it, before the older man could reload this shot gun. Before they knew it they were running. Running where, they did not know and it didn't matter.

So now they found themselves hiding in an alley with nothing other than their sleeping clothes. Their bare feet, hands and faces covered in the dirt and muck that covered the streets.

The little girl's eyes shined with unshed tears as she looked to her brother. He had always been there for her, as she for him, but in this moment she wondered if they had made a mistake. _If only I had kept my mouth shut we wouldn't be in this situation, _she thought to herself, but she knew that he would do anything for her.

The pair huddled tighter together as they drifted off to sleep. _Tomorrow is another day, _the little boy thought to himself. _Tomorrow everything will be okay._

* * *

"Commander, I don't think this is a good idea," Miranda said as she paced the comm. room.

"I have to agree with Miranda Commander," Jacob agreed.

"I don't really care what either of you think on this matter," Shepard argued. He was starting to get annoyed with the pair. Everyone else on the ship was smart enough to not enter the Comm room with them. "My sister will be joining this ship and its crew whether you like it or not. Hell, at this point she's gonna be on this damn ship whether she likes it or not."

"So you're just not going to give me a choice in the matter are you?" Rose said as the door slide open.

"Shit Birdy, I didn't know you were out of the infirmary yet," Shepard said with a start.

"Yeah, you should know that I'm not exactly the best patient in the world," she said as she moved closer to the large table. She was no longer wearing her black leather armor, but rather a pair of baggy grey sweatpants and a white tank top. Both of which appeared to have belonged to her brother. "Besides, I thought I should come down here and, you know, maybe actually have apart in my own future."

"You're staying on the ship." It wasn't a question. Everyone in the room could feel the tension, but no one dared to say a word.

"So when did you decide to make _my_ life choices for me?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

Shepard stared at his sister with narrow eyes. "Everyone out."

Miranda and Jacob looked at each other, and for a moment they wondered if they should follow his orders, but the look in Shepard's eyes told them if they didn't leave they would be in the same shit house.

Rose didn't look at the Cerberus pair as they left the Comm room. Their footsteps were the last thing she heard before the door swished behind them.

"What the hell Dom!" Rose exclaimed with her arms thrown up in the air.

"What the hell do you mean?" he was exhausted. He didn't want to fight with his sister, but he had to make her stay somehow.

"You can't make me stay on this ship if I don't want too," she protested as she pushed her long unruly blonde curls out of her face.

Shepard walked up to his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I need you Birdy," he said as he placed his forehead against hers.

Rose stepped back. "Dom, I'm not the same person I was before you died."

Shepard furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

She turned from her brother unwilling to make eye contact. "You won't understand what I have done these past two years, what it's been like for me," Rose said mournfully. "I've done things that I'm not proud of." Her breath hitched in her throat with her words.

"What are you saying Birdy?"

She hesitated for a moment before she turned back to her brother. Her eyes were filled with regret and sorrow. "Before you showed up on Mindoir I had decided to end it all."

"You were going to kill yourself?" Shepard interrupted.

"No, no nothing like that," she said with a shake of her head. "I had a plan: I was going to go after them all. All the clans, all the gangs that have been running amuck and just keep going till one of them finally got me. But then there you were, standing there with Archangel and that Salarian. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that you were alive."

Tears streamed down Rose's face. Her wild curls falling all over the place, sticking to the moist strikes as Shepard pushed her hair back and wiped away her tears. Yet the tears did not stop flowing. She sobbed into her brother's broad chest as he held her. She never cried for him, for his death, for her lose. She never let herself feel any of it.

Shepard held his sister and waited for her tears to come to an end. He had never really seen her like this, but then again he had never died before. He was all she ever had, as well as she for him. They may not know everything that had happened between them over the years, but they always had each other's back.

Rose pulled back from her brother and wiped the tears from her face as she tried to bring sanity to her hair. "I hate you, you know that right," she said with a sorrowful chuckle.

Shepard smiled wide. "I've missed you too Birdy."

Rose shook her head after a long pause. "What's going on here Dom? Why are you back now?"

Shepard took a deep breath. He knew he needed to tell her everything. Now whether it was because he needed her to understand or he just needed to tell someone, he wasn't sure. So he told her everything he could think of: Saren to the Council, Sovereign to the Geth, Virmire to Illos, the Collectors to the Reapers and how Cerberus had brought him back to stop it all. He needed her to understand, and he needed to talk to someone.

Rose whistled as she leaned against the table. "So this all started back when you became Spector?"

Shepard nodded. "Before really, my team and I were the first to acknowledge. We stopped Saren, the Geth even Sovereign, but it wasn't enough. No one believed us," Shepard rubbed the back of his neck as he started to pace the small room. "They, the-the Council, they just pushed it all under the rug like nothing happened."

"They made it seem like you were crazed before you had died, like everything you had said about the Reapers was of your imagination," Rose said with annoyance. Shepard could almost see the spit flying from her mouth.

Shepard shook his head. He knew what the Council had said after he had died, and yes he was mad, but there was little he could do about the past now. "I know Birdy, trust me I know. But we can't worry about that now, we need to focus on what is in front of us, and not the past."

Rose smiled up to her much taller brother. For most of their lives he towered over her, but there was a short time when they were young that she was taller than him. That memory always made her laugh. "You're right," she finally agreed. "You've always been able to see the future through the smoke."

Shepard laughed a hearty laugh. "You may be one of the smartest, most talented people I have ever met, but your heart is too great and your sight is too short," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have never been able to let others fight when you could and you dwell too much on the past. You need to learn to forgive yourself and others for the mistakes you can't change."

Rose eyed her brother. "Maybe, maybe not," she said with a shrug. "I've learned a lot and made too many mistakes to forget them, learn from them yes, but I can't stop looking behind me."

"If you don't stop looking behind you, you'll miss what's in front of you."

Rose scoffed. "When did you become so wise?"

Shepard laughed. "When you put me on my moral path," he said. "You convinced me to change Birdy. To stop bullying and hurting people around. You showed me I can actually make a difference in my own life and other's lives. I don't think there is anything I could do or say that would be enough to show you how much I appreciate you for that."

Rose's eyes shined with unshed tears. She felt the lump in her throat grow as she held them back. They hadn't talked like that in years, ages even, but this was something they both knew they should have done a long time ago.

Shepard smiled weakly at his sister as he reached out to her. "I need you Birdy. This team needs you," he whispered to her.

Rose nodded as she wiped her nose. "Okay, I'll stick around, but the first time I see something I don't like I'll leave….or do worse," she said with an equally weak smile.

Shepard chuckled. "I believe it."

After a moment of shared silence between the two, Shepard finally spoke. "Ah, I would love to stay here and bullshit with you all day Birdy, but I have a Krogan down in the cargo bay that needs waking."

Rose's eyes nearly rose to her hairline at the mention of a sleeping Krogan. "I would be careful with that brother. Krogans are dangerous when awake, he'll be even more dangerous after you wake him."

"Everyone keeps saying how dangerous they are like I don't already know."

"It's just a friendly reminder of how stupid you can be, brother," she said in a far to motherly way.

"Ha! Like that ever stop you or me from doing anything," he said as he clapped her on the shoulder. Rose nearly toppled over by the force of it.

"That is true, that is true," Rose laughed and the pair walked out of the comm room and to the elevator.

* * *

Miranda sat in her office chair, wondering what he next move should be. Her fingers tapped at her desk in a fury as she pulled up her computer screen. She pissed or annoyed, she didn't know which. All she wanted was to show Shepard the right path, the _true_ path. That Cerberus wasn't the enemy, that the Illusive Man knew what was right and how to accomplish it. However, she was finding it difficult to show him this and she knew that his sister wouldn't help in anyway.

The dark haired beauty soon found herself tapping away at the keys, sending a message to the Illusive Man.

_Illusive Man-_

_It appears that Shepard will be keeping his sister on the ship whether she likes it or not. Whether this is something she wants or not I am not sure. The woman holds no love for me or anything that has to do with Cerberus. So I fear there is little I can do to change her mind and if she is as influential as we fear toward Shepard than I am afraid that there is little I can do to motivate him to stay with Cerberus._

_However, I will not stop trying to convince Shepard that Cerberus is on his side and that it would be in his best interest to stay with us. Even after the Collectors are no longer an issue. _

_With Regards_

_Miranda_

Miranda hesitated before she pressed the _send _button. She wasn't sure why she hesitated, but she did and that thought bothered her. Was it because of Shepard or was it because she no longer believed in the Illusive Man? She shook her head of those dangerous thoughts and quickly pressed the button. She still believed, and probably always will.

The dark haired beauty tapped her pen on the desk pondering her thoughts. Yes she saw the attraction in the Commander. He was a skilled leader and fighter, and also a beautiful man, but that was it to her. It was then that she realized that there was no way she was going to seduce him. She knew that he would see right through her games, and the only thing that it would do is hinder what she truly needed to do.

* * *

Garrus had been working in the Main Battery since the team had returned with Shepard's sister. There were a million things he wanted to ask her, but he kept his mouth shut and avoided her gaze. Even when he walked past the infirmary where the good doctor was working on her, he wanted to ask her how she knew him and why she would help him, but he decided to wait. However, he could feel her gaze on him in the shuttle and as he walked past her in the infirmary. She obviously recognized him, and he was sure that she had just as many questions as he did.

His gauntleted finger tapped on the console, but he was barely paying attention to what he was doing and he was starting to make silly mistakes. Garrus growled at himself. His distractions were making mistakes and he didn't like making mistakes.

He grabbed the sides of the console and nearly broke it in half when he heard the light tapping of bare footsteps nearing the Main Batteries doors. Moments later he smelled her: a sweet musty smell mixed with some sort of flower, he guessed it to be something common for humans. He almost didn't recognize her, mainly because she was lacking the smell of her own and foreign blood.

Garrus didn't turn around when the doors swished open. "You're alive Archangel," Rose said when the doors closed behind her.

Garrus closed his eyes before he turned around to face her. She cocked her head to the side and gave him a lazy smile, something he was sure she gave everyone.

"You know who I am?" he finally asked.

The wild haired woman in front of him nodded. "I know you from several places I guess."

Garrus raised a brow plate.

She smiled as she stepped closer. Her far too long grey sweat pants shuffled along the floor while her bare feet pattered on the cool metal flooring. "My brother told me about you before…." Rose paused while she furrowed her brow in pain.

"Before he died," he finished for her.

She nodded sadly. "Yeah, before he died," she said with a wary smile. "And then I saw you at the funeral."

"You were there?" he said with surprise. He remembered the funeral like yesterday and he knew that she wasn't there.

She smiled wickedly. "Yeah, I was there. I just stayed in the background," she said slyly. "Just don't tell Dom. He doesn't know I was there."

"Shepard? Why wouldn't you tell him?"

Rose rolled her eyes with a sign. "Because it'll just inflate that ego of his and he doesn't need that," she said with a crocked smile. "You know he has an ego. Whether he deserves to have one or not, it's huge."

Garrus' mandibles fluttered as he chuckled. "You're right about that. He seriously thinks he's better looking than I am."

Garrus and Rose shared in a laugh and he finally got a good look at her. He mentally compared her to the photograph that was attached to the old rap sheet he had gotten from his friend back at C-Sec. She looked older, but not by much. The scar on her left cheek looked the same, a light pink mark that went down her cheek bone toward her neck, but there was a new scar, looked nearly fresh, that crossed her right eyebrow, cutting it in half. Her eyes were interesting in color, blue, the same shade as her brothers, but with green streaks and flecks. There was a fire that burned behind them that he could only now contribute to being a Shepard.

She even had the little shiny stud on the left side of her nose and the multiple piercings on her left ear, but they looked different than they did in the picture. Piercings weren't unknown to him. Many Turians had them, mostly woman, but to see so many was strange to him.

He scanned down and noticed the circular black tattoo on her right arm, and he too wondered what it meant. It seemed too random to not mean anything, but that didn't mean it did mean something. Garrus noticed that humans often decorated themselves with objects and tattoos that meant nothing other than what they looked like. Something turians did not do. There was always a meaning behind their tattoos, sometimes even their piercings. The turian clans were always very strict about who could wear their colors and markings, but that didn't stop some of them from wearing what they should not.

However there was one thing that he couldn't miss, and he was sure that no one else could miss even if they tried, and that was her hair. It was long and curly and completely unkempt. Wild in nature, and a part of him wanted to know how it felt, but he kept his curiosity to himself.

Rose's eyes darted around the Main Battery, looking for something she did not know. She soon found herself looking once again at the turian she once knew as Archangel. "I am sorry about your crew on Omega," she said after a long pause and with a serious tone.

Garrus restrained the sigh that nearly escaped. "There is nothing you should be sorry about," he finally said with a hint of anger.

Rose heard his tone, and understood his anger; whether it was directed at her or at the situation she was not sure. "I have many things to be sorry for," she said as she turned to leave the Main Battery. "Many of them have to do with the things that took place on Omega."

Garrus spun around quicker than he intended too and snatched her by the arm. "What do you mean 'what happened on Omega'?" he asked with a hiss.

Fire burned behind her turquoise eyes. "Those are things that we can discuss at another time, Garrus," she stated before she pulled her arm from his vice like grip.

Garrus shook his head as he watched Shepard's sister turn her back to him once again. "I'm going to be staying on the ship for a time, but I don't know how long. We can talk later, after I have had some rest," she said before the doors hissed closed behind her.


End file.
